


Rehabilitation

by Izzydragoness



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Alcoholic Tony Stark, Blood and Torture, Delusional Thor, Depressed Loki, Everyone Protects Loki, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Loki Kneels, Loki's Lips Sewn Shut, M/M, Multi, Odin's Bad Parenting, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Becomes A Therapist, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2017-12-28 18:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzydragoness/pseuds/Izzydragoness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Loki's attack on Manhattan, he is sent back to Asgard and is sentenced to imprisonment. Except the second Thor leaves and returns to earth by choice, Odin transfers Loki to the dungeons and brutally tortures him until there is nothing left of the Loki that everyone knew, and becomes terrified and overly submissive, hiding his scars and never opening his mouth to speak. When Thor returns seven months later, he sees this but is not told why his brother has become like such. In a panic, Thor decides to dump him with S.H.E.I.L.D and is kept under watch by the Avengers in order to get him away from Asgard. To everyone's shock, he is too busy being terrified of punishment to try anything. Tony's suspicions get the best of him and when he ends up trying to 'rehabilitate' Loki, he get's far more than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Backstage plans

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that everyone will enjoy this fic! I will warn you that I have not watched Thor, so my facts will be Very choppy when it comes to Asgard and all. Other than that, read on!
> 
> *edit* Oh my god! Nearing 1000 hits! I love you people!
> 
> *edit* THOUSAND HITS DBIASDFBBDSAVNFHCAISMOF Oh my god I promise you all updates once a day or more
> 
> *edit* I lied Im lazy and updates are slow *sobbing* Im sorry...

"Loki's punishment will place him in prison for as long as the courts see fit or until he decides to change. Do you understand?" Thor nodded hopefully at Odin who was sitting opposite of him in the banquet hall, the sounds of their voices echoing throughout the empty room ominously. Thor stared at the papers in front of him, the sentence was clear as day and so was his brother's fate. Taking a swig of alcohol and calmly placing the glass back down on the table, he looked up at his father once more. "I understand. I only pray that he will be able to come to accept his crimes and fix them, but I have come to doubt such things." Thor sounded drunk, but not drunk enough to lose his chain of thought and find himself with no memory of the previous day. He had no time for doing such things, his brother's sentence was far to distracting for him to try to forget. He knew that it had to be done, but he would still find a way to protest and give suggestions for other ways to solve the problem. But to no avail, he had no such luck in persuasion. At least he would not be tortured, which was Thor's worst fear, despite his brother's actions, he could not bear to think of the idea of Loki facing torture. "You may visit Loki before you leave for earth, if that is what you desire to do." Odin informed, his voice sounded dull and almost showed a small hint of sass as if he had other plans or just was pleased of the fact that Loki would be finally put away. "Thank you. I will do so right now." Thor said as he rose from his seat, leaving the papers and wine to be picked up by a passing servant in the later hours probably. "I wish you a pleasant night, allfather." Thor added, exiting the room quickly. Odin only grinned and grabbed the papers that Thor had left behind, and dipped a feather in the ink pot next to him that he had been using earlier. He grinned, and looked around the room before returning to scribbling a few words down on the paper. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he felt no remorse for the poor frost giant.

* * *

Thor moved through the halls quickly, walking faster than usual to get to his brother's cell. He truly wanted to speak with him, he wanted to help him. At least he thought he did. The halls were empty, and even the slightest noise caused an ominous echo to whisper through the halls as if trying to pass along unspeakable secrets that none would dare to reveal. Thor only noticed the echos when he was a child, fearing that they were the voices of monsters that would come and swallow him up when no one was looking. He learned quickly that what he believed was only that of his imagination, and got over his fears without questioning them ever again. Loki was a different story, he feared some of the most ridiculous things that a young child would laugh in the face of, but he would never fear the bigger things that could truly hurt him. It was this mentality that endangered him over everything else. Minutes later, Thor found himself face to face with Loki, exchanging nothing more than stares. The silence was not what he had wanted, Thor wanted to talk. Or at least try to talk. "Brother." "Don't call me that, Thor. I am not your brother and I do not wish to speak with you. Leave." Loki spat before Thor could finish speaking, angry and miserable. Thor looked away, watching as Loki walked up to the glass separating the two from one another, anger and frustration clearly showing on his face. _Anger._

 _  
_"I only came to wish you farewell. I am returning to earth." Thor mumbled, fazed by Loki's anger and fuming hatred that refused to allow Thor to gain an offensive position in the room whatsoever. Loki scowled and began to pace slowly, never once taking his glare off of Thor. "I could care less about what you do with your life. I will only consider speaking with you if you are here to help me escape from this prison. But why would you be here to do such a thing? I could never imagine why. Leave me." Thor felt his heart sink at the sight of his brother's state, and for a moment he almost wanted to smash the glass between the two of them in hopes that Loki would stop acting this way, but he knew of the punishment he would receive for doing such things. He knew what would happen to the both of them if he did such a thing. "Loki, listen to me." The sound of his name made him stop and widen his eyes slightly in confusion, he had finally pushed Thor to call him Loki instead of brother. It felt strange, and for a moment, empty. Loki forced the conflicting thoughts to the back of his head and continued to focus on his hatred again, he didn't want mercy, he didn't want pity. "I still care for you, If they do anything to hurt you I will act. Even though you have done the unspeakable, you are still my brother and therefore I love you." Loki flinched and looked away, he didn't want to hear any of it, he didn't want to know what Thor though of him.

There was silence for a minute, and Thor almost thought her heard a small sniffle come from Loki. He walked right up to the glass and only stared at the back of his brother. He had stirred sadness into the heart of stone. Moments later, the sadness erupted into a sudden rage. Loki spun around and slammed his fist into the glass that separated him from Thor, shaking in a fit of stress and anger. Thor stepped away from the glass, and without a word he began to walk away. "That's right. Leave me. Leave me and never return! If I ever see you again I will strike you down in rage and watch you grovel in fear and agony!" Loki screamed, shaking and clenching his teeth with such a force that his lips had begun to bleed. Thor saw none of it as he walked out of the room, not looking back to see what he had managed to do to the very person who hated him so.

 

Thor left the next morning without a word or any farewells, only receiving a motherly hug from Frigga and nothing more. His departure was not a celebration.

For Odin it was, though.

* * *

"Thor has left, you may now fetch Loki and bring him down to the dungeons, be aware that this will be kept on record that will be only seen by me and no one else. If Thor informs us that he will return than Loki will be released a day before his return. Do I make myself clear?" The four torturers nodded, sick little grins on their faces as they felt true entitlement flowing through their veins. This would be the job of a lifetime. The meeting was held in Odin's quarters and was to be kept off of all and every record in existence, and if anyone was to even mention it to another, both the teller and all who would have even possibly learned of the orders would be slaughtered to prevent any possible information being spread. Odin rose from his seat and joined the four as they began walking towards the room where Loki was being kept. The poor, poor trickster god indeed. When the room was empty, Frigga emerged from the bathroom with tears falling helplessly from her face, guilty and terrified. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I could not stop him..." She sobbed quietly, collapsing onto the bed frame as she clutched tear soaked robes.

 Loki was sitting quietly and reading when the five barged into the room and disengaged the glass that trapped Loki inside the small chamber. Before he could even turn his head to realize what was going on, two of the men had grabbed him by the arms and neck and forced him up before smashing him into the ground once more. Loki gasped for breath, winded by the sudden attack, his eyes widening in an instant as he tried to scramble to his feet. "What is the meaning of-" a hot blindfold was tightly forced over his eyes and he felt his wrists being bounded behind his back, fear suddenly pulsing through his body as he yelled out in shock. "Take him to his new quarters. Kill anyone who questions your actions." Odin ordered, watching as his adopted son writhed and spat as he was forced up once more, panicking and lashing out in all directions. "What is t-the meaning of this!? Where am I being taken!? Allfather!" Loki screamed, blinded and gasping for breath in a blind confusion. Odin walked over to him and slapped him across the face before grabbing him by the collar. "I am fixing you. Devil child." Loki said nothing, shaking. A tear fell from his cheek, he wasn't fighting anymore. He just stopped and would not fight back further, out of fear, shock, confusion, even Odin could not tell which it was. The other two men grabbed him and started to walk away. "You will thank me, child. In time you will." He laughed monstrously, only watching as the frost giant was led away, not a single word coming from his mouth.

Loki did not fear many things, but he did fear Odin. Now he would fear once more.

* * *

Six weeks later, Odin received a sealed letter from a servant who quickly presented it to him outside of his quarters. "Finally a servant who listens to the orders of giving me my items alone. You will be given a raise." The servant grinned and nodded before being dismissed. He went back inside to see Frigga looking at him helplessly, sadness washing over her face. "Why did you do this to him?" She spat, rising from the bed and walking over to him in sudden anger. "You have no word in this. Do not question my actions unless you wish to learn what you get for opposing me again." He threatened, towering over her in such a dire way that she submitted to him and sobbed quietly as she left their Quarters in a fit. This continued for several months, and at last, he grinned when he reread the records that were written to him privately.

* * *

 

 

Prisoner Record

Prisoner name: Loki Oddison

Sentence: Torture

_Day 10: Loki appears to constantly lash out against us, which we are working to correct via extra whippings and starvation periods, he appears to be constantly angry and often smashes his fists against the walls causing his knuckles to bleed. We have seen no improvement whatsoever._

_Month 1: Loki is showing signs of fear when we come close to him, and lashes out less often. He still curses us whenever we walk by. We respond to this by whipping him for an extra hour when we torture him. He has cried out once when we forced his face into boiling water. His burns had healed since but he is gaining numerous wounds on his arms and back which he constantly tears at. We have not had to treat any infections so far.  
_

_Day 50: Loki has begun to refuse food and he is becoming slightly frail. He shows signs of depression and no longer spits out at us when we walk by. We have increased his torture intervals to four per day up to four hours long each. He is showing less signs of violence and appears to be improving little by little. He cries out more often and we punish him for doing so by lashing him for an extra two hours.  
_

_Month 3: Loki has tried to commit suicide once by repetitive smashing his head against a wall. He has no apparent brain damage but we have decided to increase his punishment for doing so permanently. He is showing signs of depression in a more severe magnitude and is refusing to eat or drink. We have forced him to do both as a result. He is improving greatly.  
_

_Month 4: We have dealt with over fifteen suicide attempts and as a result, his torture has become far more extreme and he had begun to cry after each session. He has called out to Thor once, as a result we will gag him from now on during torture sessions. If I may add, the three others are currently restraining him as he just tried to stab himself with a loose stone. We suggest that the punishment is lightened to an extent as we may end up killing him before the sentience is over. We have had to treat one infection of the wounds on his back, but otherwise we have had no other problems with his health._  
 Otherwise, we have seen incredible improvement in him.

_Month 5: I suggest that we take him out of torture as soon as possible, he has become extremely submissive and has stopped talking. Whenever we walk by he crumples into a ball in the corner and shakes violently. He has had three infections in the past month and we suggest that he has been fixed.  
We will wait for your orders however. If you feel that he should continue than we will persist in his torture._

* * *

_  
_He folded up the note and threw it in the fireplace, exiting his chambers to make his way down to the courtyard. He had not seen much of Frigga in the last two months. Their time together would be mostly spent as screaming matches that would end with her running out and sleeping in private chambers for the following weeks. He knew very well that his actions had created clashes in their relationship, but he found it hard to care with all the success he had been informed of with Loki. The monster was not even his son, so he could truly not care. He remembered when the frost giant was a child. He would find himself striking the young boy whenever he had done something wrong. They had a doomed relationship from the start. He should never have brought the child into their life.

He moved slowly through the halls, stopping momentarily to greet others but quickly continued moving along. He stopped when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and turned to see the same servant who would always deliver his letters holding a paper in hand. "I told you only in private." He snapped, causing the servant to flinch. "I-It is from Thor. He will return in three days from now." Odin scowled and thanked the servant. He returned to his quarters and scribbled down a few words on a scrap of paper.

_Thor has informed me that he will return in three days. Release Loki and treat him with utmost care, once you have treated his wounds, bring him to me. Have this all done today or you will face severe punishment._

_  
_The letter was sent right away, and within a few hours, Loki was brought to his chambers, shaking and pale white. "The four of you are dismissed. Take a month off of your duties." Odin spat as the four torturers nodded and went their separate ways.

Loki stood at his door, his state a sad tale of correction and torture. There was not a drop of trickery in his eyes, instead they were wide and full of weakness and fear, an ocean waiting to flow at any moment. His skin was pale, his scars and burns covered by his long robes that were adjusted to hide his skin even further. He stood there, shaking, terrified, speechless. Odin walked over to him, watching as his shaking became more and more violent as he came closer and closer. He grabbed Loki's collar, and the shaking became an intense convulsing that went up and down his body, all blood draining from his face. "You are now free. But there are a few rules that I must make clear. Do you understand you pathetic child?" Loki nodded violently, tears dripping down his face as he froze in place, fear had truly conquered him. "Thor Is returning. But the second he leaves you will return to torture. If you complain at all, I will strip you of all your power and leave you to rot in a cell under my feet until you die." Odin snarled wickedly as Loki's expression turned to dread. "If you tell my Son of this, You will both die. I will not hold back." Loki nodded violently before being released from Odin's iron grip. "Get out of my sight. I do not wish to see you unless I must." Loki staggered out of the chambers and teleported himself into his in an instant, walked over to his bed and collapsed into the sheets and began to cry violently. The Loki that was once known was gone, he was fixed, just as Odin requested.

* * *

 Thor's return was celebrated with a feast and banquet that Thor was informed of by the servants. He seemed overly pleased by the coming feast and the celebration of his return, grinning ear to ear. After an hour of celebration, things had finally calmed down and everyone had returned to business as usual, but he had no way of helping himself but to bat an eye at the women in the halls as he walked through the palace. "Not much has changed since my last visit. How very pleasing I must say." He said to himself as he passed a group of ladies who grinned and batted their eyelashes at him, swooning when he responded with a grin and subtle wave. He made his way to his chambers, but was promptly stopped by Frigga who had followed him through the halls. He stopped, excited to talk to her again. The two exchanged hugs and Thor grinned proudly as he began to tell her about his heroics back on earth, he was certainly full of himself at this point. "I see you have been well, child. I have missed you dearly, we all did." She said, hiding the pain of the last few months behind a smile and fake voice full of happiness. "How has my brother been? I take it that he is still locked up in a cell. I worry about him." Thor remarked, almost feeling guilty that he had forgotten his brother. Than again, the pain of his brother's threats had affected him none the less. _"That's right. Leave me. Leave me and never return! If I ever see you again I will strike you down in rage and watch you grovel in fear and agony!"_ He winced at the memory of his brother's screams as he left the prison chamber, forcing them back hopefully. Frigga's expression broke into sadness and trauma, she knew that she could not tell her son of what had been done to Loki, the lies hurt. "He has been released. But he has changed." She forced out with a dull voice, feeling a small amount of bile rise in her throat that she quickly forced back down. She had to lie. Thor's expression brightened, a glimmer of hope streaking across his face. "Where is he? I wish to speak to him at once in any case!" Thor chirped excitedly, and Frigga gulped down a lump of dread in her throat. "I am not sure, but he has avoided many of us. He may be in the gardens." Thor grinned, and was running off before Frigga could bid him farewell.

Thor took little time to reach the gardens, and grinned excitedly. _'He's released. A miracle has occurred!'_ Thor thought to himself, as he began to scour the gardens immediately.

* * *

Loki buried his head in his knees, curling his legs to his chest. _'I didn't want this. This is unfair. I would have changed if given time. What have become...?'_ His mind fluttered with emotions as he made himself as small as possible at the base of a tree. He just wanted to be alone, he didn't want anything other than to be left alone. Fear had become his number one emotion. He could no longer fathom on how he had managed to function before all of this. Fear was all that he knew now. Shaking, he uncurled himself and stood up, his frail legs shaking as he rose from the ground. _'At least I am alone. Odin cannot hurt me now.'_ He had though of running away once in the past but it was quickly overridden with fear and the understanding of his punishment. _'I would do anything to leave this. I would kneel for the avengers if it was enough to let me leave this place.'_ He thought, wiping a stray tear from his face that had formed seconds ago. His body ached and his wounds and scars felt raw. He didn't want anyone to see them, so he hid. The only visible one was a small scar across his nose that could easily be swept aside as a simple cut and nothing more.

"Brother! There you are!" Loki jumped and he felt a massive shiver swoop over his body as he began to hyperventilate in mere seconds. ' _No. No. No. No. Please. I'm not ready for this.'_ It was too late though, he turned to see Thor walking over to him with a grin on his face. Thor clearly could not make out the shock on his face or the fact that he was hyperventilating as he walked over to his brother quickly and grabbed him into a tight hug. Loki caught himself when he realized that he was shaking, and took a deep breath. It didn't last long though. He felt a wave of emotion fall over him, and he forced back tears. The touch of another, the feeling that he forced away for so long suddenly felt like a blessing. He felt himself choke on a wave of tears and did something that he never thought he would imagine doing. He wrapped his harms around Thor and buried his head into his chest, and the tears began to flow. Thor released his grip, stared for a moment and then realized what was happening. Well, not entirely, considering that he had never truly seen his brother do this before. "Brother? Are you crying?" Then he saw it. Loki's complexion was pale and thin, he felt his brother's heartbeat slam through his skin and the speed of his breaths was dangerously fast. __

_How dare they.  
_

_  
_He felt his rage fume and he wrapped his arms around Loki's small frame, stroking his back in small circles and hushing him softly. The tears still would not stop, and it took not a single hint for Thor to understand what had been done.

_They hurt you._

_  
_"I Want to leave. Don't leave me here Thor. I learned. You can trust me again. Please." Loki begged, still sobbing into his brother's chest. He could feel Thor's fists clench and he could sense the rage in his voice. "I don't know what they did to you, but this is not you. I will speak to Odin." _No. No don't speak to Odin you madman._ Loki though to himself frantically.

"I will not leave you here brother. Not when you are like this."

Loki felt a wave of shock fall over him that was quickly released with another wave of violent sobbing that was accompanied by small sobs of _"Thank you, Thank you."_

 _  
_Thor did not consider the prospect of torture in his theories of what had been done to his brother, though.


	2. Promises and Notifications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven days later, Tony gets a call from S.H.E.I.L.D summoning him to the Helicarrier. The reason why, is the most surprising part, however, and Tony can't quite figure out if this is some kind of joke or if this is a serious task.

It was five in the morning when Tony Stark's phone blared from his nightstand and he was stirred awake angrily by the noise. _For the love of god, who the hell is calling me?_ He thought wearily as he fumbled for his phone, almost pressing Hang up instead of Talk. "Tony Stark speaking." He mumbled in a monotone voice that could be easily deciphered as the classical 'Just woke up leave me alone' voice. "About time you answered your phone. We called you three times earlier and you refused to answer." _Oh yay, Fury's here to yell at me once more._ He thought to himself as he brushed back his hair with his free hand. "Good, I need my sleep you know. Can't you call later or something? I happen to be a human being, not a robot." He hissed tiredly, and heard an angry laugh at the other end of the line. "We don't go by sleeping schedules. We call, you listen. It should be simple enough for you, sleeping beauty." Tony rolled his eyes in annoyance and waited for further instruction, considering he did not have much of a choice in any case. "What do you plan to do with me today? Send me on a mission to a faraway land to kill a bunch of evil masterminds?" He asked jokingly, though that's what he was expecting to hear anyways. "No, we need you here to watch over one. The details will be sent to your AI."

Tony said nothing for a second, looked at his hand to make sure it was a hand and not some weird dream vision and then pinched himself just to make sure that this was real. "Wait what? I think I misheard you there. Look after a supervillan?" He stuttered. _Looks like fury's learning how to play pranks._ He thought doubtfully. "I'm dead serious Stark. The rest of the Avengers have been notified of this and are on their way to the Helicarrier as we speak.Tony was silent for a moment and then finally spoke. "Who are we babysitting now?" Fury laughed weakly at the other end of the line before responding. "Loki, apparently."

Tony stare at the phone, mumbled a few curses and slammed the phone onto the receiver without a word.

* * *

 

 "Jarvis, how much did I drink last night? I think I'm still drunk." Tony asked desperately, now worried that Fury was being serious with him, after all, there was no way that this was real, the second you bring Loki into the mix there's something seriously wrong with the picture. _This has to be a joke. There's no way that's he's being serious with me, this is must be some sort of well executed prank._ "You did not consume any form of alcohol last night, you are completely sober." _Shit. He's being serious with me._ Tony got out of his bed lazily and wandered into the kitchen to start a batch of coffee, he was dead tired and he would do no good except fumble around until he had a cup of coffee in hand. He fumbled to get the machine ready and after continuously dropping spoonfuls of coffee granules on the kitchen floor, he managed to get a brew started. Tony leaned against the counter top, taking a moment to think about what he was supposedly just told to do. "Geez, Thor leaves to go home and seven days later he starts rambling that he's decided to throw his psycho brother at us, is this real life?" He knew he was thinking out loud but he had no intention of caring right now, he was too tired and confused to function properly.

"I have received information from S.H.E.I.L.D concerning your phone call. I will display it immediately." Jarvis chimed and moments later a holographic screen appeared over the counter top beside the coffee maker. Tony groaned and turned to look at the screen, his eyes widening a moment later. It was a quickly scribed letter from Thor, and it was obviously his considering that nobody had handwriting quite like his. Not to mention they probably scanned and examined the hell out of this thing before distributing it. "Okay, he's not joking. Thor, you must have fucked up big time for something like this to happen." The coffee machine beeped and Tony quickly poured himself a mug, took a swig and then began to read.

* * *

_I apologize for the loss of detail in this letter, but I must make haste and have little time to spare writing letters._

_Upon my return, I had discovered that my brother had been released from his prison and is free to walk again, he had apparently reformed. Although I am at a loss of words to explain his reform. Something has gone terribly wrong during my absence, and instead of reforming to a better person, he appears damaged and frail. His destructive personality has disappeared and has been replaced with constant fear and shock at the slightest sudden movement. I do not think that he has been physically tortured, but I feel that something has been done to his mind and overall structure. I am unable to explain the magnitude of the change in words, but I fear that keeping him in Asgard will only worsen his condition. I only ask that I can safely hand him over to S.H.E.I.L.D and that he is kept under watch. I will return to Asgard after placing him under your watch to look into what was done to him during my absence, for I have been given no background whatsoever on how he was treated during my absence. If he does anything to endanger anyone, I will willingly take him back and I will not burden you with such matters ever again. I will arrive with him on the Helicarrier deck a day from now. If one more thing is possible, I ask that he is given free will to move around on his own and only will he be contained if he starts to cause trouble. I also only ask that you keep the other Avengers with him on the Helicarrier for precaution._

_-Thor_

* * *

_  
_"That sound pretty Thor-ish to me. Shit, this is serious. Jarvis, am I getting an escort for this or something?" Tony was receiving the first blast of caffeine from his coffee at this point, and it appeared that he was able to function once more. "I have not received information on your form of transport, Sir. If I gain any further information I will notify you at once." Tony downed the rest of the coffee in his mug, placing it on the counter before walking back to his bedroom to get dressed. "Good. I don't want to have to fly there or something because of a miscommunication." He joked dryly, truthfully he was only half joking however. He dressed himself with a pair of loose jeans and a tank top covered by a black leather jacket, hell, if he was going to have to come face to face with the God of mischief again he would prefer to look a little better than a slob just to make a point. Ironically, he didn't really have a choice concerning these matters. If Nick Fury said 'Get your ass over here' he would have no choice but to get his tired ass over there. If he didn't, they would use force and he would prefer to avoid that. At least it sounded like Loki had toned down a bit, if Thor was stupid enough to drag the same old mentally cracked Loki over to them then the whole thing would be judgement day all over again. Truthfully, Tony was actually hoping that Loki was like Thor described this time around. _As long as he doesn't kill anyone I'm good. He does that I'm hauling ass out of there faster than Bruce can hulk smash_ _._ As he walked back out into the front room to grab another mug of coffee, the sound of rotor blades and a blaring engine came into earshot from the roof above him. "Sir, a helicopter is landing on your roof that I have identified as a S.H.E.I.L.D vehicle." Tony quickly grabbed another mug of coffee and downed it as quickly as possible. "Aww, I didn't even get a chance to brush my teeth." He complained, making his way to the roof.

* * *

Loki paced back and forth in his cambers, waiting anxiously for Thor's signal. _"Will I truly be given freedom? Or is this another betrayal that has been set up for me...? I won't survive another month in torture, I can't..."_ He clenched his fists and felt a wave of terror flow over him as a blast of memories from the last months blew through him. The jagged iron beads that ripped at his skin every time he was struck with that whip, the agony pulsing through his body as the blood poured down his back, desperately struggling to force back the vomit in his throat. The boiling water that they threw him into that was replaced by freezing water moments later that burned him even further. The sound of the sickened laughter coming from the mouths of the torturers. The sound of a hammer pounding in the distance that reminded him of his brother- _The sound of a hammer pounding._ He took several deep breaths and wiped the tears from his face as he realized it was time. That was the signal. He readied himself, and slowly focused his magic. 

Then he felt fear. Unimaginable fear. The fear of being betrayed again, the fear that this was a trick of some sort. His heart rate skyrocketed and he felt the shaking start up again. The agony of his wounds flared up and all of his emotions intensified. But it was too late to cancel the spell, he was already teleporting to the highest point of the palace. Thor was waiting for him when he materialized in front of him, shaking and unable to stand. Thor extended his arm to his shaking brother who looked at him for a moment in fear, took a deep breath and then accepted his hand. "You look unwell, Brother." Thor commented, concern crystal clear on his face. Loki said nothing, focusing on taking deep breaths and keeping his fears contained. "I am fine Th-" He paused suddenly, and Thor tilted his head slightly in confusion. "...Brother." Loki forced the last word out, unsure of what had compelled him to correct himself. Perhaps it was the promise of safety, perhaps he was happy to have Thor around for once. "Say no more. You need to focus." Thor spat, as if he had not heard Loki's words. _"Fine. I give you love and you take no notice."_ Loki thought bitterly, feeling let down to an extent. He sighed and began to focus his magic, feeling it slowly intensify. He was unsure of how this was supposed to work, how Thor would help him teleport away, than again, he had no clue where he was being taken. His magic peaked and the world around him became illuminated as he felt Thor grab his hands. He was going to escape this hell he once called home, and for a moment, he didn't care to where he would find himself when he opened his eyes.

* * *

Nick Fury and the rest of the avengers were waiting on the deck of the Helicraft when the sound of a helicopter came into earshot. "There he is. Took him a while." Steve mumbled, seeming equally if not even more tired than Tony was when he was stirred from his beauty sleep. Everyone seemed exhausted and irritated by the sudden summoning. Many of them probably thought that this was some sort of joke just like Tony had, since not everyone had the luxury of an AI that tells you everything you would ever need to know about life itself. Natasha appeared to be hiding a knife in the sleeve of her jacket that was pretty much noticeable to everyone once you were to get close. She obviously didn't want to take any chances with this Loki business. Everyone else seemed too tired to have made any preparations for defending themselves, than again, you give Natasha a task that seems the slightest bit risky, she'll show up with blades and a pistol hidden wherever she can hide them. Nobody was surprised, for that reason alone. The helicopter came into view and slowly floated down towards a landing target on the deck. Nobody knew what to expect at this point, not even Tony Stark.

"That didn't take too long. Looks like you guys might actually know how to drive." Tony joked provocatively, he was full of caffeine and was back to his usual self at this point. There was no answer from the two front seats. "I love this, I can insult you guys as much as I want and you can't do anything against me. I should hire you guys full time." He laughed, getting a groan from the front. Tony looked out the window to see that everyone else had already arrived and smirked. "Looks like I get a tired and pissed off audience to welcome me." He commented jerkily as the helicopter touched down and the sound of the rotor blades slowly quieted gradually as the door opened. "Hey! How is everyone's sleep pattern's doing? Good to see we're all equal!" He laughed pigheadedly, raising his arms up causing a chain reaction of eye rolls and groans from the group. As he walked towards the group, he was suddenly being ignored and everyone seemed to be suddenly fixed on the sky. "Hey, I'm over here! Not up there...oh." Two beams of light plummeted towards the deck and Tony quickly got out of the way and placed himself beside Bruce. _Shit. Two lights. This is it Tony._ He thought to himself.

 

Loki Felt his feet touch solid ground and he heard a slight chatter around him. He didn't feel Thor's grip on him anymore, but he could sense that he was beside him. He opened his eyes, and a wave of shock slammed into him. _Oh Odin no._ He thought, staring directly into the shocked faces of the avengers. Off to the side, there was a smirk on Tony Stark's face. "So we meet again." Tony whispered to himself. __

_Oh please no._ Loki thought once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters will look more like this now, they will be shorter but more frequent. If I haven't updated in a while, please harass me in the comments to get my act together, I am prone to procrastination.  
> I would love if you would take the time to leave a comment, every little bit helps♥


	3. Kneel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor wasn't joking about dropping Loki off at the Helicarrier. This scares everyone, but a few moments of body language from Loki changes that quickly. 
> 
> Nobody had ever seen him kneel before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more for the ditch before I put myself to sleep. One more. As usual, please leave a comment if you have the time and don't feel held back to harass me in the comments if I get lazy and stop posting. Read on!♥

There was complete silence for an entire minute following Thor's appearance. _He wasn't lying._ Tony thought, fluttering with shock internally. He looked over to Natasha, who was tightly gripping the dagger she had hidden in her sleeve. It looked as if she might decide to use it, truthfully. Nick Fury looked angry, as if he thought it was a joke. Everyone had thought it was a joke. "I am sorry for doing this on such a short notice. I had no choice." Thor finally broke the silence, there was not a drop of remorse in his voice, as if he would defend Loki at any moment. Tony turned his attention to Loki, and felt something. He didn't know what, but it felt odd, as if suspicion was creeping up on him and trying to tell him something that he wouldn't want to hear. Loki looked terrified, pale, almost if not more shocked than the rest of everyone. Something was off about him, he just couldn't put his finger on it though.

"I doubt that. What the hell were you thinking!? Is this funny to you!?" Fury stepped forward, rage washing over him and replacing all evidence of shock on his face. Everyone was far to dumbfounded to notice that Loki had taken a few steps back and appeared to be shaking. Tony did though, he was watching Loki like a hawk. Observing his every movement, unbelievably intrigued suddenly. He didn't know what had drawn him to observe the god so suddenly, but he seemed to be unable to stop staring at the shaking figure that was at one point throwing him out of a window in rage. Now that angry figure was a shaking like a leaf behind a seriously deadly incoming conflict, and something told Tony that this would not end well for any of the people involved in this.

Thor stepped forward, and clenched his fists. "I had told you very clearly of my plans! This should not be a shock to you, what is it that you do not understand!? I told you nothing but the truth, do you believe that I had lied!?" Fury looked as if he was going to hit Thor, but Tony doubted he would be stupid enough to do that. Hitting Thor would be like punching a rabid tiger, you would have no way of surviving the attack, and if you did than he would probably come back and finish you later. "I did not doubt that you were being serious. But I refuse to allow this, he is not allowed on the Helicarrier and you will take him back at once! If you choose to speak against me, than you can kiss your title as an Avenger goodbye!" He hissed, and Thor raised his hammer as if ready to strike. _Shitshitshitshit, Looks like it's Tony to the rescue._ Tony quickly made his way in between the two and yanked them apart. "What the hell tony!?" Steve yelled from the group of dumbfounded Avengers who were just beginning to come to terms with the situation. Tony was in between the murder glare of Thor and the 'Say goodbye to your job Stark' stare from Fury. "Hey, waitwaitwait. Fury, I got nothing against you, but why did you call us here if you were going to resent this?" He argued, sweating when he realized that he had just put himself in a really shitty position at this point. "I mean, you did tell as all to come here. You announced that you received the message! Nobody's died yet, so I don't really see the problem here, that makes sense right!?" He was talking quickly at this point, barely improvising his words, this was a bad, bad choice. But it felt right for some reason.

 

"Bruce, are you seeing this? Look at Loki." Steve whispered with a hint of concern in his voice, finally noticing the god that was standing silently behind Thor. Bruce turned his head, and looked equally shocked when he realized what they were ignoring the whole time. "That's not normal behavior. Especially not for him." Bruce stuttered, staring at the shaking God. Loki was shaking, looked terribly pale, and appeared to be in panic if anything. "He looks scared as hell. I don't know about this, but I think that something is up, that just doesn't seem right. He looks genuinely in panic." Steve added, and nudged Clint who was standing silently, obviously trying not to do anything stupid. "What?" Clint snapped, clearly stressed along with everyone else. Bruce subtlety pointed to Loki, and Clint realized exactly what the other two had realized right away. "Natasha?" Clint whispered, and was responded to by a her quick glance at Loki followed by a nod. Steve sighed and turned his head over to the obvious clash that was about to break out between Tony, Thor and Fury. "We can deal with Loki later. I just don't think that I can see Tony loose his job like this, and Loki seems in no position to want to hurt anyone." Bruce added, and a nod was exchanged between all of them. "Lets get ourselves in some deep shit from Fury. Tony needs his job and Loki's showing some strange body language that is honestly concerning me to no end, despite the shit that he did to all of us." Steve gulped. Truthfully, they were more worried about Tony's title as an Avenger right now.

 

"Look, can we just let this be an exception and we can all get along?" Tony stuttered, sweating buckets. Thor was gripping his hammer tightly and Fury was enraged. "I will not step back until Fury apologies! Forget reasoning, Tony Stark!" Thor hissed, and Fury walked a step closer, rage fuming. "Tony Stark, you may forget you title as an Avenger now, and Thor- you can just... Leave." Tony stood in silence, shocked. _Shit. Shit. Shit. YOU IDIOT._ "Let it go, fury. You have no right to this." Natasha cut in. Thor, Fury and Tony turned in shock to see that the four were in an offensive position, pissed. "We agreed to come here. Let it go, you had us come and we won't leave until you agree." Clint added, and Fury stood there in shock. Loki stared in confusion, still hyperventilating like a terrified child. "We can handle Loki. We were trained to do these things. You do realize that, right?" Steve hissed, words burning a hole through Fury and he started to give. Loki's expression changed to shock, almost relief. Thor's expression lightened, and a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared on his face. Loyalty shined through, once again. "...Fine. But if anything happens the lot of you will be held responsible for every bit of it. Do I make myself clear?"  Nick stuttered, giving in for the first time, and hoping it would be his last. A grin emerged on Tony's face, a grin of relief that was still accompanied by pure shock, however.

Loki gulped, and spoke up weakly. "...I will do nothing to harm anyone." Everyone was staring at that point, except Thor was grinning in relief.

* * *

 

Everyone was inside at this point in the front control room and Loki was being eyed by every single person. He appeared to be becoming nervous due to all of the stares. "Did we seriously just allow Loki to stay aboard the Helicarrier?" Steve whispered to Tony, who was standing beside Steve, fixated on Loki once more. "We sure did. But if you ask me, I think that we won't regret doing it." Steve cocked an eyebrow at Tony, confused. "The hell do you mean by 'we won't regret'?" Tony shrugged and continued to stare at Loki. "...Just a feeling. That's all."

"Now we have to set a few rules here. If you break any of them than it's out the door for you, and I mean that far more literally than you think." Fury snapped, circling Loki assertively. Clearly trying to get a solid point across. Loki nodded silently, looking forward. It struck tony that there was something different about Loki's poker face. It had changed. He remembered it to be more smug and outgoing. Now there was a clear display of fear in his poker face. "You threaten anyone, we put you under captivity and watch your every move." Loki nodded silently once more. "You hurt someone, we get you off this ship right away." Loki nodded, his eyes darting around for a moment in anxiety. Fury circled him one more time and then stopped right in front of him. "But if you kill someone... Let's just say that we discovered that deadly toxins that can kill a mortal work on monsters like you in a higher dose. Do I make myself clear?" He whispered, and if you looked close enough, you could see Loki shaking visibly. "...shit." Steve turned to Tony again, and couldn't help but respond. "What?" "Loki's shaking like a freaking leaf, that's new." Tony responded, perplexed.

  
"Now then. I will allow you free will on this ship if you do one thing and one only." Fury took a few steps back, and a smug grin emerged on his face. Loki gulped nervously.

"Kneel." He ordered, and everyone in the room turned in shock, and a you could hear a pin drop in the sudden silence. Tony's jaw dropped in utter shock. Thor almost looked sick for a moment.

Loki kneeled the second that Fury finished speaking without a single hint of protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness of this final chapter for the day. But hey, I gave you two updates in one day! If you have anything you would like to point out, please do tell me in the comments, I will try to respond to each and every one of you personally.


	4. Pastries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony does something unexpected and Loki ends up finding himself a little more than confused after the strange encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm about to hit 1000 hits, so have another chapter! I have been waiting to write this one :D   
> Some FrostIron starts to become visible in this one.

Loki did his best to avoid all human contact after being shown to his quarters, memorizing the fastest routes to his quarters and only coming out when most of the people on board were settling in for the night. The quarters he was given were no better or worse than those of any other person on board, a small bed and a bathroom with a small shower. He felt no need to voice any complaints about the quality of the room, it was a blessing to him truthfully, far better than what he was cooped up in for six long and painful months of torture and suffering. He refused any garments given to him and kept to his Asgardian robes, they did a far better job at hiding the scars and wounds that snaked up and down his body up to his neck and down to his heels. He wanted not a single one visible, and that was just the focus of the robes he was given; crafted to look very much like his original robes but longer and more concealing, but not different enough for the change to be noticeable to the naked eye in the first few moments of contact. Fury did not seem to have a problem with his refusal, as it only helped keep Loki more 'identifiable' from the rest of the people on board. Nobody had any need to question why that was, for it was quite obvious as to why Fury would want to keep track of Loki. As for the Avengers standing up for Loki's allowance on the Helicarrier, that was a topic that constantly buzzed through the ship that would be hushed just as quickly as it was brought up when the Avengers would come into earshot. They knew that people were speculating, but nobody knew that Tony's title was threatened by Fury, that had been kept out of the information by Fury for obvious reasons.

Thor had departed once more, returning to Asgard in order to attempt to figure out what had went wrong. Loki was clearly upset by this fact, but no one had the guts to question the God who at one point was trying to murder each and every person on the ship and probably in the world if he had gotten there. Thank god that didn't happen. Loki had one hell of a good reason to be scared though, Odin's words had made it very clear as to what would happen if he was to tell Thor about the torture. _"If you tell my Son of this, You will both die. I will not hold back."_ The words had terrified him more than anything else. Thor was going to find out somehow and Loki had no idea as to how Odin would react. Would he truly kill his real son for coming to terms with such things? Was he that monstrous enough?

At the end of it all, Loki didn't want to know how it would all end up turning out if that was the way it would happen. He didn't want everything to be his fault. He didn't know what to blame himself for anymore, instead he resorted to blaming himself for everything. It seemed more logical for him that way, he was already a monster so why not set that fact in stone? He knew he deserved it.

  
The tiny digital clock that sat on the small white nightstand read ten PM, the sound of people puttering about in the halls outside had subsided by now, and Loki felt a little safer knowing that things calmed down at this point. He lifted his head tiredly from his pillow and stared at the clock with a dull expression on his face. _Perhaps it will be safe to leave the room now without spontaneously clearing the halls. I cannot afford to starve to death._ He had not eaten anything over the course of the four days since Thor had left, he was too dull to eat, and he felt no hunger whatsoever. That had changed in the last few hours, and his body had began to torment him with the nagging pains of hunger that made him feel ill and weak. He had to find some source of food unless he wished to die. He rose weakly from the mattress and quietly peered out of his quarters into the long plain hall around him. Empty. With a sigh, he quietly crept into the halls, recounting the mental map of the ship he had formed to the best of his abilities while he explored the ship as subtlety as possible. He hadn't taken the time to figure out where to get something edible though, and that was about to become a problem for him. With a sigh, he began to wander quietly. A few people ducked into corridors when they noticed him, only a few managed to continue about their own business, but the people who managed that looked quite scared. He couldn't blame them though. He found himself wandering a few more hallways before sensing a familiar energy behind a door labeled "Lounge". He stopped for a moment and stared at the door quietly, wondering if he was going to do something stupid or if he should just keep walking. He listened in for a moment, hearing not a single voice in the room. _I will regret this deeply, I am sure of it._ He thought to himself as a hint of anxiety rose within him when he peered into the room. It was much nicer than the halls and seemed to be a bar of some sort. It reminded him of the one that he found himself staring at when he was inside Stark Tower, although Tony's was far more fancy. He quietly entered the room, still completely empty. He liked the empty part, he had no intention of encountering anyone at this point. Gazing around the room, he walked over to the row of bar stools and ran his hand along the counter-top quietly, it's smooth texture reminded him of the ornate decorations sprawling across the interior of the palace back in Asgard, it was comforting and tormenting all at the same time.

 

"Boo." Loki flinched violently in shock and the hyperventilating started up again as he began to shake. He heard a laugh from behind him and turned in shock to see Tony Stark grinning in amusement at the door. "Seriously? I wasn't even trying. I didn't even know you decided to venture out of the safety zone and I still scared the hell out of you." He laughed, clearly amused. He was holding a small folded paper box that he placed on a table between two black couches, and sat himself down on the couch facing in Loki's direction. Loki only stared at him, still shaking as he tried to gain control of his hyperventilating to the best of his abilities, which he didn't seem to be doing a good job at. "...I-I am only trying t-to find something edible. I will leave right away." Loki stuttered, slowly shuffling to the door as quickly as possible. "Edible? Everything is closed up at this point. You're going to starve tonight." Tony muttered, opening the small paper box. Loki sighed, halfway across the room at this point, now looking defeated and it seemed as if he was about to start sulking. Tony pulled a doughnut out of the box and Loki stopped in his tracks, his eyes slightly widening as he stared at the pastry feeling a hint of agitation. _Is he honestly doing this?_ Loki thought, fixed on what was probably the first good looking piece of food he had seen in months. Loki almost looked upset by the cruel display. Tony noticed right away and a strange expression crept up on his face. "I have three." He addressed openly, and looked the distraught God right in the eye. Loki forced out a quick breath before walking a little faster towards the door. _Thank you for rubbing it in, Tony Stark._ Loki thought to himself as he approached the door, dear god he just wanted to get out of the awkward situation at this point. "That was an invitation, you antisocial wreck." Tony continued, watching as Loki stopped once again right before walking out the door, turning to stare at him dumbfounded. "...What?" "I'm inviting you to a doughnut. Donuts are like, freaking solid happiness."

With a cautious sigh, Loki slowly walked over to the edge of the couch and sat down quietly, shifting uncomfortably. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Tony took a bite of the doughnut he was holding, Loki didn't dare reach over to grab one, he felt far to nervous. He didn't want to do anything wrong, fear of punishment was still relevant. "So, the hell did they do to you back in Asgard? You're a freaking emotional wreck." Tony asked, his voice muffled slightly by the chunk of doughnut stuffed in his mouth. Loki flinched at the question, the memories of torture flashing through his head momentarily. Tony could see him tense up at the question, his body becoming stiff as he curled his fingers around the black leather covering the couch. There was no response from him. _"Just as I expected, something went wrong. Tensing up at the mention of his homeland."_ Tony thought to himself as he took another bite of the chocolate frosted doughnut. "...it's not important." Loki finally forced out with a heavy breath, sitting back slightly. Tony tilted his head in Loki's direction, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. You going to eat one of these before they're gone? I won't wait for you to suddenly want one." Tony responded, grabbing a doughnut from the box, offering it to the god. Loki stared for a second before grabbing it with a sigh, quickly grabbing it and retracting when his finger's accidentally brushed against Tony's. Loki held the pastry awkwardly, staring at it as if he suddenly forgot what to do with it. "...This is awkward." He commented quietly, and to be honest, it seriously was awkward as hell. "I've been through situations way worse than this, shut up and eat." Tony urged suddenly, as if there was something he was trying to avoid. "Worse than this?" Loki asked, turning his head to look at Tony, perplexed. "You don't want to know. Trust me." Tony responded with a shudder, he had walked into some weird stuff over the years.

That was when Loki realized that he was calm. He was having a conversation with another being who wasn't trying to kill him, not trying to degrade him. Tony Stark approached him, and offered him food, and now here he was having a conversation with someone he was trying to kill earlier. He didn't realize until now that Tony was sitting in a relaxed position, not a single bit of worry emitting from him. Loki on the other hand was tense, and didn't even realize it. Had it become natural for him to be like this? But here he was anyways. It felt... good.  "You going to eat that or not?" Loki flinched and stared at the doughnut, and at last, took a bite. Tony suddenly was staring right at Loki, waiting for a reaction.

At first he didn't taste much of anything, it was disappointing. Then the blast of sweetness hit, and his eyes brightened right away from the sudden pleasant taste. Dear god it was good, and he was starving so that only made it taste better than it should have. A minute later, Loki had finished devouring the pastry, a brightened expression on his face. Tony couldn't help but burst out laughing at Loki's reaction, grinning childishly in amusement. "You should have seen your face! You looked like a kid for a moment!" Tony snorted, trying to hold back laughter. That suddenly killed it for Loki, and a wave of embarrassment crashed over him as the grin left his face. "Good Night, Stark." Loki snapped, standing up to leave. Tony stopped laughing and watched as Loki stormed out of the room, wiping the leftover glaze off his face with his sleeve. The door slammed behind him, and Tony sat for a moment, dumbstruck. He stood up with a shrug. "I'm lost at where that messed up." He mumbled as he tossed the empty box in a trashcan nearby.

As he left the room, he felt a momentary fluttering in his chest that he quickly cast aside and kept walking as if it had never happened. " __I think I'll be keeping this encounter to myself. " He mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, if you have anything you would like to say, than leave me a comment. I will respond to everyone no matter what you have to say to me. And of course, If I start to fall behind please do nag me in the comments. Read on!♥


	5. Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor sets his plan into motion to keep the truth at bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just hit over a thousand Hits, so I decided to write another quick little chapter just to let you all know what is going on with Thor. Sorry about the shortness, it's just that considering that I just gave you a full chapter, I wanted to give a little more to celebrate the thousand hits! Happy reading!

Thor's return was the most subtle action that had ever occurred in the palace. It was as if no one had noticed him leave. He had left for a few hours and then promptly returned as if nothing had happened. It was silent and well executed. Odin had taken immediate notice however, but said nothing whatsoever. Frigga had not caught on yet, which was a blessing to Thor to an extent, he didn't need heaps of attention being drawn to him after his quick disappearance. Loki would simply be accounted as missing in the coming hours, the palace would be set into a frenzy, and Thor would take responsibility by going out and searching for him as long a possible. Weeks later, Thor would return in tears, claiming that he could not find a single trace of his brother. He would give up and exclaim that he believes his brother has somehow died. It would all be forgotten shortly after then.

That was the plan, but plans can be deadly as a dance with an army of blades.

Thor lay asleep in his chambers, his mind blank and not a single dream invading his mind as he slept in a trance. He was at peace with himself for once, after all that had happened. He originally planned to look into what had happened to Loki right away, but he had to create a compromise. It would seem far to odd. But for now he slept, taking no care of what would come in the hours ahead of him. Even gods needed to rest in tranquility at least once in their lives. He hoped that he had given his Loki that chance for once.  
He only hoped he had done what was right.

Morning came quickly with the sound of repetitive knocks on his door. Thor stirred awake groggily, wondering who had come to his door to pester him at such an early hour. His body refused, but he forced himself up and stumbled to the door, opening it groggily. "Yes?" He mumbled, his eyes barely waking up along with him. He tended to wake up first and his body would wake up later. "My son, you must help us. We are in panic." Frigga was standing at his door, distraught and looked as if she was crying. 

Thor snapped awake right away, and the plans returned to his mind right away. If this wasn't about Loki, he was unsure of what could have possible gone wrong. "Mother, what has happened?" Thor asked as a fake expression of worry fell over his face at the sight of his mother in shock. Just because he was faking did not mean he didn't feel bad about the lies, however. "It is Loki. He has gone missing. No one had seen him leave the palace but he is nowhere to be found." Frigga shook in distress, clearly in panic. Thor the plan take over after those words were spoken. "What do you mean? Why would he disappear? He was perfectly happy the last time I had seen him!" Thor questioned, the perfect look of shock across his face. Frigga shook her head, a few tears fell from her eyes. "I do not know. Thor, he had been unhappy. I beg of you to look for him, he is your brother and he is my son." Thor looked away before nodding. "I will leave right away. Does anyone else know of his disappearance? We need many people looking for him, I cannot do this on my own." Thor added, distraught emotion painted all across his face. "I will order multiple parties. Thank you child, he will return home no matter what happens. Promise me." 

Thor gulped nervously. "I promise." He boomed before closing his door to dress himself for the search. He had no clue that Loki's disappearance would be noticed so quickly. At least no one knew what had truly happened to his brother. As long as the truth was kept hidden than everything would be fine. 

Leaving his room, Thor gripped his hammer tightly as he went off to join the search parties. "You will be safe brother. Do not worry, I will not fail you."  
He quickly joined the search parties, and the shock within the groups had risen quickly just as Thor had expected.

It was unfortunate that Odin knew the truth, though. But nobody was aware of that. Not even Frigga could see the truth.

The truth was deadly indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, sorry for the shortness, I just wanted to toss another little thing at you to celebrate reaching a thousand hits, expect a normal chapter tomorrow :D  
> As usual, I will respond to each and every comment. If you have anything to say, don't be afraid to speak up, and of course, read on!♥


	6. Questioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor sets out with the search party, and Bruce and Clint talk mental health until Tony ruins it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised another chapter today. Sorry it's kind of short, I have bad writing block today for some reason. But than again, technically you're getting 7,000 to 10,000 words per week, so I don't see a reason to complain! Ironically, if you print this out it comes up to two and a small bit of a third page in small font, so I'm okay with this.
> 
> Ughhhh I can't write Thor stuff, I feel like I HAVE to watch Thor if I have any chance of succeeding at Asgard chapters. Instead I gave you a quick update on what's going on with Thor, sorry about that :(

It did not take long for the search parties to be dispatched, there was no overly long briefings whatsoever, only a few details here and there and directions given. Nothing more, nothing less. It was to be kept as quiet as possible, not to set the world into frenzy. That was exactly how it went, To Thor's delight, not to mention relief. "He was most likely to flee to colder regions. There is no time to spare, my brother may be in danger." Thor instructed, receiving a wave of quick nods from the recruits that was controlled and subtle. "My brother is coming home. If we fail I will never be able to face Odin ever again. We will succeed no matter what, do you understand?" Another nod was exchanged. Thor gripped his hammer and scanned the crew carefully. These were not amateurs, they had much experience with search orders. Thor had to be careful not to let Loki's true location slip, it would be the end of him if such were to happen. He could not afford it, never in his lifetime would the scars heal if such were to happen. "Let us begin." Thor ordered blankly, and the long journey had started at last. This would be a dance with death itself for Thor, and one slip would destroy everything for both him and Loki.

It was up to him to keep quiet in this toxic diversion.

* * *

 "Loki's pretty good at hiding isn't he?" Bruce tilted his head at Clint's sudden remark, it was certainly a strange one, that's for sure. "What do you mean by "good at hiding"?" Bruce responded quickly, scanning over Loki's scepter that had been confiscated the second he stepped inside and not a second later. It was quite clear why there were no chances taken there. He didn't enjoy being distracted, especially since he now had a chance to freely inspect Loki's scepter without being forced to look over a single part of it, he was free to scan the thing for all eternity if he wanted to. Clint leaned against the wall next to the door, a cup of coffee in hand. "He's on the ship, but he's barley ever seen. Apparently he only comes out when people are getting to bed, even then, most people have programmed themselves to hide whenever they hear footsteps from around the corner when it gets late now that he's on board. I asked a few people of their encounters, and most of them said that they didn't see much, you know, running away from him and all." Clint added, downing the remainder of coffee in the mug before continuing to speak "Honestly, that would suck if you were in his position. Think of it, you're just trying to move around a bit and the second you turn a corner everyone goes into evacuation mode. Probably not the best feeling."

Bruce shrugged, focusing the scanner on the tip of the scepter before looking up at a monitor screen and pressing a few buttons. "...Do you think we did the right thing?" Clint looked up, puzzled. "What do you mean by 'the right thing'?" He responded, placing the empty mug on a nearby table before walking over slowly. Bruce put down the scanner and turned to face him, looking quite serious at this point. "What I mean is sure, we did it to save Tony's ass, but was that all that we were worried about? Did we just let Loki on board as an excuse or did we mean to honestly help him? When I looked at him, he just looked..." Bruce paused for a moment, frowning before finishing his sentence. "...terrified."

There was an awkward silence for a moment when neither of the two realized that there was no valid response for what Bruce had just said. Bruce and Clint just stared at one another in silence, both making 'Just say something' faces. "... Yeah, he did actually. Wonder what that was all about?" Clint finally broke the silence, and to his shock, Bruce piped up right after he had finished speaking. "Well, to tell the truth, I did do a little bit of work on psychology at some point, and now that I think of it, his behavior is not normal whatsoever. Something went wrong with him at some point." Bruce responded, suddenly picking up a slow pace back and forth. "Wrong? You mean like something was done to him? I guess that could be possible..." Clint acknowledged, watching Bruce pace back and forth continuously. "I'll try to keep this simple. He displayed some serious anxiety when he first appeared with Thor, at least that's what it looked like. Even in the recent time, it's like he's in shock. Whatever was done to him was going on for quite a bit or it was extremely recent, it would have had to had happen at least a few weeks prior to him being brought here, and that's by the least." Bruce explained, receiving a nod from Clint.

"We could try to find out, you know-" Just as Clint was finishing his sentence, Tony barged in the door with a stupid grin on his face. "Sup Legolas? Bruce, you going scan happy on that scepter?" He laughed obnoxiously, clearly trying to get in the way. An audible groan was heard from both Bruce and Clint in response. "Do you mind Iron-Ass? We were trying to have an intelligent conversation here." Clint snapped angrily, Tony had killed it completely for the both of them. Tony raised an eyebrow in interest at the two. "An intelligent conversation? What might that be about, I can't imagine how that's even possible when you're involved Legolas, sorry." Tony egged obnoxiously, receiving a hiss from Bruce. "It's about Loki, if you really want to know, mister playboy genius."

_"Why the hell do I get that weird flutter every time someone mentions that wreck?"_

"Oh? What's new with that invisible being, seen him recently? I hear he only comes out at night." Tony humored, quickly setting aside that _Freaking flutter._ Bruce pursed his lips, returning to his scanner. "Well, I have a bit of a theory to why he was so terrified. But before I explain that, can I ask you something?" Tony only shrugged at the question before nodding. "Why exactly did you jump in between Thor and director Fury?" Bruce asked, still focusing on scanning the scepter. A lump formed in Tony's stomach, and he darted his eyes away for a second. "That? Well to be honest, I have no idea, well, I sort of didn't want to find out what happens when Thor's hammer strikes the human frame. Ok, maybe I had noticed that Loki looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown, can't blame me for that can you?" Tony spat, watching as Clint rolled his eyes from the corner of his eyes.

Bruce turned and placed the scanner down once more, staring at Tony. "Well, I think that something went wrong at some point, and it was recent. But I kind of need some help getting some info." Bruce explained, watching as Tony tilted his head. _"I have some experience with that..."_ He thought to himself quickly before responding. "I take it you want my help for some reason, but I don't see how I can be any more helpful than anyone else." He responded, puzzled. Bruce shrugged before continuing "Well, considering you just barged in without even a second of remorse, I think that you owe us. How about we fetch some doughnuts later for you in return?" Bruce proposed as Tony's eyes lit up and he suddenly formed an Idea. "I'll do whatever you want me to for a day once I gather your information on one condition." Tony added quickly. Bruce crossed his arms, annoyed. "What would that be?"

 

"Get me the doughnuts first." He said with a devious grin. _"Let’s see if the second time goes better."_ He thought to himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg Tony, what are you planning this time around!?
> 
> As usual, expect a chapter tomorrow or in a day from now. If you have anything you would like to say, then please tell me in the comments. Also, I do listen to music while writing, so I thought I should share with you what I had listened to the most through this chapter. I think I will do that from now on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pASeRJfcuU
> 
> Music really helps me get a feel for how I write, a simple change in song can affect everything. You might be able to see that here and there if you look carefully enough. *Cough Cough* Chapter 3 *cough Cough*
> 
>  
> 
> Oh, and a special shoutout to Laura_Trekkie for giving me some good comments that have given me ideas on how to deepen things in the storyline, thanks for that!
> 
> Thank you all for the support and read on!♥


	7. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony breaks through at last. For only a short while though, than he finds himself out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm so sorry! I had developed a severe case of writers block over thanksgiving so I couldn't toss another chapter at you in a day! I was able to produce this over the course of the break though. Sorry about that otherwise. We will return to the usual Chapter per day as usual.

 It took Tony only two days to successfully track down Loki when night fell outside the Helicarrier, two long tedious days full of constant failure and honestly believing that he knew Loki's schedule. When Tony had finally found him it was midnight and Loki was walking quietly through the halls in no general direction. He watched Loki slowly move through the pale hallway, unaware of Tony's presence lurking behind him. Tony was either suddenly a really good stalker or Loki had just become overly distant. Then again, maybe Loki knew but just didn't want to turn around, it didn't seem very logical though considering how distant he had become. Tony was holding the paper container of doughnuts in his hand that was given to him by Bruce as promised, Clint didn't want to pay apparently. _"Found you. Now where might you be going?"_ Tony thought to himself as he stealthily crept behind Loki, keeping himself at a safe distance from the god. Tony continued to follow Loki, unaware of where he was headed. It was only when Loki turned a corner and walked into the hallway that contained his quarters did Tony realize that he had to act quickly. Luckily he was several meters behind Loki, far enough to look like he was just turning the corner. "Hey." Loki flinched and spun around, eyes wide with shock. Upon realizing who was behind him, his expression changed to embarrassment and he darted his eyes away for a second before looking back at him. "...What do you want?" He mumbled, clearly shocked. Tony walked over to the startled god with a sigh, and shrugged awkwardly. "Hey, look. I did something to piss you off a few days earlier and I'm not quite sure what it was, can I still apologize though?" Tony responded awkwardly, not sure where this was going to go. Loki shifted uncomfortably before looking directly into Tony's eyes, insecurity painted across his face, a tense silence falling over the halls. Tony's heartbeat sped up in an instant. The mechanic tapped his left foot on the ground impatiently, half because he was prone to being impatient and the other half because of the stress caused by his increased heartbeat. A minute passed, and at last Loki opened his mouth. "I just...I can't stand it when people try to just..." Loki stopped again, and Tony saw it.

 Loki's fists were clenched, he was visibly shaking and a mixed expression of illness, anger, sadness and frustration was painted across his face. It was that expression that caused Tony to start slipping, and then it was at that moment that Tony blurted out the words that he would never be able to explain no matter how much time would pass. "You need someone to talk to, right? Is that it? You look like you have a ton of stuff that you want to say." Tony had no chance to stop the words, something kept pushing him forward. "People scream a lot of things at me, you can too if that's what you need." Tony finished, unbelievable loads of regret crashing onto him as he closed his mouth with an expression of dread on his face. _'Why in the heck did I just say all of that!? Oh god this is going to be bad. Stupid Tony, stupid freaking idiot, you just told the freaking god of mischief that he can pour all of his issues onto you, why the hell did you do that?'_ Tony thought frantically, desperately trying to resist blurting out that he didn't mean what he just said. Loki's eyes widened before opening his mouth to speak, lips quivering. "Why are you so kind? Why do you try to approach me after all of this? Do you truly care or are you just trying to manipulate me?" Loki's words slammed into Tony hard, like an impaling bullet. He had to say something, he just HAD to. Tony gulped, and clenched his fists. He couldn't just say that he didn't care.

He couldn't lie to Loki, it would be wrong of him to do that.

"Hey, Loki, come on. I'm just being me, you know that right? I...I care, kay?" He could barely hear his voice over the sound of his pounding heart. He didn't even know why his heart was being such an ass after that first encounter, but it just wouldn't go away, and he couldn't explain it if he tried because he had no idea why it occurred in the first place. It couldn't be emotions, it was impossible, that's what he would tell himself over and over as he lay awake before drifting off to sleep, waking up the next morning as if nothing had been wrong.

Loki just stared and stared, frozen in place. Tony swore he saw a single tear shimmer sickly down his cheek in the dull hall light before falling away, forgotten as quickly as it was realized. Tony took another deep breath, there was no going back now, might as well keep going in any case. "I...I'll listen if you need to vent...You look like you need to, like, badly." Tony watched as Loki slowly opened the door to his quarters and stared into Tony's eyes before speaking once more. "I... I want you to listen." Apparently this was how tony would find himself walking into the quarters of the enemy, no, invited in.

This was clearly going to be very strange, if not eventful.  

* * *

 

Loki's quarters looked no different than anyone else's, but seemed just a little messier when compared to the rooms of the most unorganized people on the ship. The blankets that rested on the small bed within the room were unmade and looked like a sad mess. The bathroom door was closed, and there were fingerprints covering the white door, making them clear to the naked eye. It wasn't that bad compared to the average bedroom, but this almost broke code on the Helicarrier. “You aren't into cleaning, am I right?" Tony attempted to joke, failing immediately when he realized that Loki had looked away, stressed even more. Loki seriously looked stressed; he looked as if he could punch a wall if he felt like it although that wasn't the current mood he was in. Tony originally wanted to try to encounter Loki during the day or not with such urgency, but he had to make do with what he had at the moment, but what he had was pretty damn awkward and overly uncomfortable. But on the flip side, Loki had let Tony into his safe zone, and this was some sort of strangely enlightening progress if he hadn't seen it. _‘How long has he been on here, like, a week or something? He's already getting a little bit friendly in a weird way.'_ Tony thought to himself before moving over to a chair beside the door and sitting down awkwardly, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Loki sat down on the edge of the bed uncomfortably, clearly regretting the decision he made seconds ago that allowed Tony Stark to enter his quarters. "So, uhh… just start talking if you want to, I'll listen." Tony mumbled awkwardly, the pounding in his chest returning to a quick flutter as he fidgeted in the white chair beneath him, uncomfortable and unsure of what to say to the God. There was a long awkward silence between the two before Loki finally spoke up, his voice shaky and cautious. "Promise me that you will share this to no one, I do not want this to be shared with anyone." Loki received a nod from Tony before opening his mouth to speak once more. "I hate my father more than anything in the world." Loki started, leaning back slightly in defense when Tony suddenly leaned forward in interest. "Hey, me too, what kind of crap did he do to you?" Tony asked, interested by the common trait that had just been established. Loki tensed up slightly, Odin's words flashing through his mind _"Thor is returning. But the second he leaves you will return to torture. If you complain at all, I will strip you of all your power and leave you to rot in a cell under my feet until you die."_ With a shudder, he continued to speak. "When I was a child, he would always find a way to blame me for everything that ever went wrong. If Thor were to make a mistake or break something, I would still be blamed. There would be times when he would strike me if he was angry and if I cried than he would just hit me harder until I learned not to cry. He truly hated me, yet he still decided to bring me into his life for some reason."

Tony's jaw fell open and a flash of disgust rolled across his face. _‘Shit, that's not right.'_  He thought to himself before shifting to the edge of the seat. "…Geez. I had it good in any case. Why do you think he would do crap like that though?" Tony asked, truly disgusted by what he had just heard. He was a sucker for people who had been abused, he couldn't help but feel sympathetic for them, and it was just a part of who he was that he couldn't change.  Not that he wanted to though, it was a good trait to have in his books. Loki shifted uncomfortably, unable to make eye contact with Tony; instead he shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled, still refusing to look at Tony. "That's fine; I'm not making you do anything." Tony replied, feeling the atmosphere of the room slowly become less tense. Perhaps he was truly getting through to Loki, yet even he had no idea why he was trying to do so, he just went with his desire to do so and it seemed to be working for some unknown reason. Why his desire was to help Loki? He couldn't answer that one if he tried. “If it makes you feel any better, I'm honestly curious about what happened to you, because I can tell that you're not telling us everything. I'm concerned, because no one just goes from crazy murderous nutbar to quiet submissive lamb in a few months, I know that." Loki looked back at Tony, the mechanic's words taking root. Tony kept pressuring him for information, but Loki knew that it would get to Thor somehow, and Odin would kill them both then. But at the same time, Loki had no clue how long he would remain on the Helicarrier, but the longer the better for him, as long as he was not in Asgard he was safe. That was all that mattered to him as of now, or was it? Even in his wildest hopeless fantasies he would dream of while locked away, none ever involved him being aboard the same vehicle that he was trying to destroy, reluctantly welcomed but welcomed nonetheless, allowed to move freely and even more unbelievable, Tony Stark was trying to get through to him. The fantasies that he dreamed of involved him simply being free, far away from civilization where he could hide away for the rest of his days. Where not a single soul could find him, not Odin, not Thor, no one. He almost enjoyed this, perhaps it was a blessing. Perhaps he could trust Tony Stark, just perhaps.

"You still here? I think that you left your body for a moment there." Loki flinched and realized that he had slipped away for a minute or two in thought, Tony was staring at him patiently, although his patience had obviously slipped as he had decided to speak up. "Sorry." Loki mumbled, looking away as Tony stood up suddenly, reaching for the doorknob. A memory had flashed through Tony's mind seconds ago, and he realized that he had been informed of a little something that he had almost disregarded. "I sort of have a meeting to get to, I forgot about it and Fury will probably rip my guts out if I don't show up." Tony informed, a tone of urgency and embarrassment in his voice. He wasn't lying, he had been informed that there was going to be a quick briefing on something earlier in the day, and he happened to have forgotten somehow. He was good at that. "I see." Loki replied, suspicious about the sudden 'meeting' that he had forgotten about. He would probably just ask Tony about his meeting later to see if he was lying or not, that always worked back in Asgard when people tried to ignore or get away from him. Tony was about to open the door when Loki spoke up once more, staring right into Tony's eyes. "...Thank you."

The fluttering increased as the words sunk in, and Tony fumbled for the doorknob to turn. "Uh, sure thing. Anytime I guess?" Tony stuttered, opening the door before slipping out quickly, closing the door behind him. He had left the box of doughnuts behind by accident.

* * *

 

Tony ran through the halls, scrambling to the conference room. _'That was slick Tony, now he thinks that you're avoiding him. How the hell do you forget this stuff!?'_ Tony thought frantically, bursting through the conference room's plain iron doors to find the stares of the rest of the Avengers on the other side. "Crap, sorry. I forgot." He apologized lightly, seating himself next to Bruce, who was giving him an annoyed stare. _'I was just having a little chat with the murderous God of Mischief, that's all.'_ Tony thought dryly, he didn't dare say that out loud. "How nice of you to join us. How about you keep track of the time from now on? This is important." Fury hissed angrily, standing authoritatively at the other side of the table. "Sorry, I'm not good with meetings, you know that. Now then, what's the beef?" Tony added, embarrassed to an extent. Perhaps he should worry about this stuff, Fury tried his job once, and he would do it again if he wanted to.

Fury began to speak, a tone of anger in his voice. "We need to set this whole Loki business straight, we have no reason to keep him on this ship unless you can give me a good reason other than being pounded to death by Thor. Other than that, we have no reason."

A lump of dread formed in Tony's stomach and he gulped nervously.

 

This was going to be eventful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I frostiron'd this one as much as possible, it begins! As usual, if you have anything to say in the comments, feel free to do so and I will respond to you as soon as possible, even if it is criticism! Criticism helps me quite a bit. 
> 
> Oh, and here's a legend for speech:  
> "Anything in these markings are spoken by word"   
> "Anything in these italicized are flashbacks of previous speech"   
> 'Anything in here italicized is thoughts'   
> 'anything in these non italicized is just general stuff like: He 'promised' that he would make it on time'   
> Oh, shout-out to Sara for being such a dedicated fan! 
> 
> As usual, feel free to harass me in the comments if I fall behind, and read on ♥


	8. Defense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear god, I have beyond severe writers block right now, this chapter is a mess in my eyes. I might have to take a little day break for a bit...
> 
> Other than that, read on! Hope you like this chapter, I feel that it moves a little quickly though. I did go past the 1,000 word goal though. Expect another chapter tomorrow or in a day from now!

Fury was beyond sure that he knew how this would go, he was sure that Loki would be off this ship within the first few minutes of the meeting, not a single minute wasted on debating. Placing the meeting at midnight would exhaust everyone, making them far less energized. He just wanted to get Loki off of his ship. He was sure that there would be not a single remark against his decision, but oh how it was not to be. Oh how he was wrong.  

There was a flat silence in the room, not a single voice or murmur could be heard from anyone. They were all staring right at him, unreadable expressions on their faces. He couldn’t tell if they were upset or pleased, perhaps they were neither. Bruce looked over to Tony for a moment, who was fiddling his thumbs quietly, obviously hiding shock under his cool and calm façade.  _‘He’s found out something. If only I had met up with him earlier I would know what to say, crap, this is tricky.’_ Bruce thought, receiving a subtle glance from Tony as if trying to say ‘do something’.  How could he though? How did he know that everyone else wanted to stop Fury instead of agree with him? It was risky, too risky for him to try. He _knew_ that Loki was hiding something, he knew that it wasn’t something that was going to harm them, he could just tell. But he couldn’t risk being shot down by everyone if he was the only one against Fury. Instead, Bruce simply sat, watching everyone else’s body language. There wasn’t much of anything to see though, everyone was still.

Tony had to do something; he couldn’t sit and watch this happen. _‘Loki’s not even capable of threatening someone right now, what the hell is Fury thinking? Time to take leap of faith number two.’_ Tony rose from his seat, and prepared himself for the shitstorm he was about to face from Fury, but it was probably going to be worth it somehow. He just had a feeling about that little detail. Everyone turned to look at him, confused. Bruce seemed relived however, he hoped that Tony would be himself and stand up as always. “Y’know, I’m a little confused Fury, what’s the deal with this? Is he dangerous or something? I don’t see it.” Tony protested, watching cautiously as Fury took a step forward, not expecting the challenge. Chances are he was prepared though, knowing Fury, he always had a way to respond to a challenge. “Tell me this, Tony Stark. Do you remember when he unleashed an army on Manhattan and killed thousands of people? Do you remember the death count by the time he was taken out? I see no reason as to why we can trust him after the things he had done, he did it before, and he can do it again.” Fury spat at Tony, clenching his fists in anger.

Tony barley had time to think over what he would say in response; there was no time to pause in this mess. “I’m not sure about that, have you even seen him recently? I doubt he’s capable of anything that he did in the past. The Tesseract is far, far away, we’ve got him under secure watch, and was I the only one to notice how freaked out he was when he was dropped here? I don’t think it’s possible that-” Fury slammed his fists onto the long steel table, startling Tony and causing him to stop mid-sentence. “Now you listen here, I don’t care what the hell you think, Stark! Loki is a threat and if it wasn’t for the lot of you than he wouldn’t be here right now! What makes you think that he should be allowed to stay any longer?! He killed Coulson, he caused countless deaths! He’ll do it again if he wants to, I have no doubt about that and I will hear no more from you unless you wish to lose your place here in S.H.E.I.L.D! Do you understand? He’s capable of anything and I refuse to let the bastard run free on my ship! I wouldn’t be surprised if he was to kill us behind our backs!” Fury screamed, Tony stepped back promptly, it was too much. With that, Fury was sure he had it, Loki was leaving the ship no matter what was said, it was done.

Then Bruce stood up. “I don’t think that’s possible at all. He is currently capable of nothing that you described.” Fury felt a wave of anger and shock smash into him before he stared directly into Bruce’s eyes and responded, rage and disgust flowing through them. “And how might that be true!? You have no proof of that whatsoever!” Fury spat, receiving a smug grin from Bruce. “Captain.”

Fury watched as Steve rose the second that Bruce finished speaking, looking as if he knew exactly what he was doing. Tony looked around in shock, people cared? _‘Well, well. Looks like you owe us one, reindeer games.’_ He thought to himself, barley believing what was happening around him. Fury simply stared, waiting to hear what was to be said. “Well, you see. We’ve been watching him carefully; we know that he only comes out when most of the people on board are asleep, but why? He doesn’t want to be seen. He’s scared if anything, he has no intent to harm anyone. We have a theory as to why; and we think we know very well what happened to him while he was gone. It’s not pretty, that’s for sure.” After Steve finished speaking, Bruce continued right away in full swing. “If you remember, when he came on board with Thor, he looked startled as hell. Almost as if he didn’t know that he was going to be here. He was seriously terrified, and that behavior coming from someone like him is as impossible as the probability of the world ending in the next few minutes. For him to act like the way he has, he would have had to been forcefully corrected. Thor would resent this more than anything, but he acted as if nothing had changed. He wouldn’t take consent to what was being done, now what does that spell out?”

Tony’s heart stopped for a second, and then it all made sense. _‘Holy shit.’_ He thought to himself, watching as Natasha rose from her seat. “Torture, torture that was preformed behind everyone’s backs. Thor didn’t know, he was clueless, why he still doesn’t know? There were definitely some threats thrown around that prevented it from happening. What they are, we don’t know. But we know that torture is the best answer to all of this.” It was no surprise that Clint had risen from his seat seconds later. Everyone was standing now, and Fury went from confident to just downright shocked. Clint then spoke up, and it was the nail in the coffin. “We refuse to have him leave this ship. We all know what Thor will do, and we all know how it’ll end. Give it up, we were called here to keep an eye on him, and that’s what we will do.”  

At last, Fury backed down, sitting back down in his seat quietly. “Damn you all. But if anything happens and Loki’s behind it, you’re all losing your positions and there will be no second chances. Do you hear me?” There was a subtle line of nods from each and every one of them, and with that, Fury stormed out of the room.

Tony just stood and stared off into empty space, dead confused. “What the hell just happened?” He mumbled, unable to believe the events that occurred moments ago. Bruce let out a tired laugh, and slapped Tony on the shoulder. “We just spoke up against Nick Fury in order to keep the same person who was trying to kill us all on this ship. Were a bunch of freaking nutbars aren’t we?” He joked, looking accomplished. Tony was still trying to comprehend the situation when he realized a little something, well, something breathtaking to be honest. _‘They want to help Loki. Dear god, this is messed up. We are all crazy, but we have something here obviously. Shit, we’re a damn good team.’_  Tony let out a weak laugh, and watched as the room slowly emptied, leaving himself, Bruce and Clint in the room. Clint leaned against a wall, a smug expression on his face. “Well then, looks like we need to get something out of this now. You said it yourself didn’t you, Iron-Ass?” Clint remarked, only half joking. Tony had said that at some point, and he was obviously right. Tony rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, recalling his words. “Yeah, I did say that didn’t I? Something about that we wouldn’t regret letting that nutbar stay on the ship?” Bruce nodded, and began to exit the room. “I’m going to go hit the mattress, let’s keep this confidential, how about it?”

 

* * *

 

When Tony had returned to his room, to his surprise, the box of doughnuts that he had forgotten in Loki’s room earlier was resting by his door, untouched. “Those were for you, you crazy idiot.” He mumbled to himself, picking up the box from off the floor and walking into his quarters without a word. Even now, he still had a hard time realizing that this might be going in a good direction for everyone, and it was all thanks to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously hate this chapter, enough said. It's too short and I can't think right now. But hey, it's a chapter, right?
> 
> If you have anything you would like to say, then please comment and I will respond to each and every comment personally! Read on and don't forget to keep me in check with posting dates! ♥
> 
> Edit: Holy crap! Were about to hit 2,000 hits! I'll be going away for a bit and will come back with an epic chapter, hold tight folks! And honestly, thank you. Without all of your comments and views, this would not be still going. I was going to stop at chapter 1, but you people told me different. Thank you, honestly.


	9. Ambush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I'm sorry guys. School just got a lot harder and I was unable to find the time to write another chapter. I'm sorry this is short, but the next chapter will be very action filled and probably a little longer than usual.

"We should probably stop drinking Y'know, were bein kinda stupid here." Tony mumbled, taking another swig of beer from his can, jabbing Steve with his elbow obnoxiously. Steve shifted farther away from Tony to avoid getting jabbed again before responding. "Yeah, I noticed. Quit jabbing me you drunk." Steve hissed, only half joking. "We shouldn't even be getting drunk right now, we have stuff to do in the morning and I'm blaming you for the hangover this time." He continued angrily. Steve was not nearly as drunk as Tony, but he was reaching the angry drunk stage at this point and that was never a good thing when it was him getting drunk. Tony only laughed before taking another swig "Yeah yeah, I know. But who gives a shit? Drinking is awesome!" He laughed drunkenly before standing up from the couch to grab another drink. As he was walked over to the bar, Steve stood up and placed the empty can on the table and started for the door. Tony turned and rolled his eyes, disappointed. "You done already? I thought you had a strong liver, captain!" Tony joked devilishly as Steve glared at him before slamming the door behind him as he left the lounge. Tony stared at the door for a few seconds before grabbing another can from the small cooler placed on the counter and opened it as he sat down again, taking a swig.

"...Everybody seems to have something against me, so it seems." He mumbled to himself as he leaned back on the soft black leather of the couch, just as he had done during his first peaceful encounter with Loki. _'It's been three days since I last saw him, how can he survive hiding for so long? Does he even leave his room? I don't get how he can do that.'_ Tony thought to himself as he took another swig of alcohol, ever since the meeting had occurred, Loki was only seen once by a startled worker late at night, only for a second though, as the worker had ducked into another hallway the second she had seen him. She was able to remember that he seemed to be weak looking, as if he was tired or fatigued. This troubled Tony to an extent, since he was never spotted during the day looking for food. Everything closed up at night, and no one wanted seemed to care that he obviously wasn't getting any food. No one except for Tony, that was. He still couldn't figure out why he was so worried about the god, perhaps the threat of Thor pounding their heads in was the reason but he doubted it for himself. Something was causing him to care, and he had no clue what it was, why he felt so relieved when they overthrew Fury's plan to toss Loki off the ship, why he jumped in between Thor and Fury in the first place, he didn't know. It was then that the door creaked open and Tony saw Loki at the door, nervously looking at him.

 

* * *

 

The lower storage room was quiet as usual; people had no reason to really go down into them unless ordered to do so. A lone guard stood in front of one of the rooms in the quiet hallway, slowly beginning to doze off out of boredom. Those put on guard would stand for hours; they were not even given a chair to sit on during the long and painful task. The young man was suddenly stirred by the sound of footsteps in the hallway, slowly getting louder and louder. The guard reached for his gun as he called out into the empty hallway, slightly nervous. "Identity yoursel-" An arrow went right through the side of his skull and he fell to the ground, dead. A figure approached the dead guard and kneeled down and began to rummage through the man's uniform pockets. The figure grinned when it recovered the man's access card and stood up, wiping blood off of its hands as it walked over to the door and used the man's card to enter the locked room. The figure moved quickly, searching for the biggest box of explosives it could find. Upon reaching a massive crate of gasoline, a sick grin crawled across its face and it muttered a few words quietly. "Loki Laufeyson will die as the sun falls tonight. Odin will be pleased with us."

* * *

 

"So, what brings you here in such an early hour? It's only 5 P.M and you only come out at night, getting braver or something?" Tony asked drunkenly, putting down the can of beer on the counter and leaving it there. It was best he stop drinking at this point, considering who was in the room. Loki shifted uncomfortably on the couch, just as he had done that first time, but something seemed to be different this time, as if he was distressed. "I...I did not have much choice, I sense a familiar energy on this ship, its origins trouble me." Loki began, his voice sounded anxious and worried, almost perfectly matching his body language. "Its origins are from Asgard, I fear that something is looking for me, if I am correct than we are all in grave danger." Loki continued, cringing at the memory of his home world. Tony gave him a confused stare before sitting down at the other end of the couch, not nearly as relaxed as before. _'He could be joking, but damn, he sounds pretty serious. What if he's telling the truth here?'_ Tony thought to himself, a hint of concern entering his posture. "What do you mean by grave danger? Does Asgard have its own crazy alien army or something? I mean, when you say grave danger, it has to be pretty bad." Tony said, contemplating if he should tell someone about Loki's warning or not, Loki was known to lie, but he seemed quite serious. "I... I do not know, but if something is here, we have to be concerned about it. I started sensing the energy a day ago, that is why I was hiding myself." Loki explained, releasing a long breath. Tony tilted his head, still rather confused by the whole thing. "Ok, but why are you telling me this? You could tell any one of us but why me?" Tony asked, hoping to at least get back to the basic intentions of the whole thing, because technically Loki could even tell Fury about this and he would listen, so why the heck was he suddenly Loki's information bank? Loki took a long breath before responding quietly "I trust you for some reason, why, I do not know. But I feel that you will listen more than anyone else will." Tony stared at the god, a surprised expression across his face. _'Bingo. You got him to trust you.'_ Tony thought, realizing that he had done well for once. He got to the same person who was trying to rip apart the face of the earth and murder everything to sit down quietly and open up, that was an achievement if he hadn't seen one. "You...trust me?" Tony asked, struggling to hide a grin of achievement behind his startled expression. Loki gave a slight nod before looking away, curling his fingers into the leather of the couch.

"...But you did not have to lie to me about having a meeting, you could have simply left." Loki added, a hint of pain sliding across his face. Tony gulped, something wasn't going to be confidential anymore, he couldn't lie and say that he was avoiding him, it would be wrong. "Hey, look. I wasn't lying, there was a meeting, I honestly forgot." Tony stammered, actually worried that Loki thought he was trying to avoid him. Loki looked away again, not the slightest bit convinced. "...I take it that the meeting is confidential and you are not allowed to tell me what it was about. I understand if you do not wish to associate with me anymore." Loki was clearly forcing the words out, he didn't want to say that he didn't mind being left alone, not after the things that Tony had done for him. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, and began to spill the confidential information that was to be kept quiet. "It was about you. Fury wanted you off the ship, and he had brought all us Avengers to the meeting. He expected not a single objection to the decision, all of us ended up saving your ass big time, and trust me, I mean that more than you would ever imagine."

There was a silence in the room, Loki just stared. He couldn't believe what he was hearing; they spoke up against Fury in his defense? It had to be a joke of some sort, a lie. Loki slumped in his seat, wide eyed and dumbfounded. "...Why would you...you all..." He was at a loss of words; it was too unbelievable to understand. If Tony was telling the truth, no, there was no way. Not after what he had done to all of them, they wouldn't care. "You...you are lying." Loki stammered, not knowing what to say or believe. "I'm not lying." Tony responded, looking him right in the eyes. "Ask any of us." Tony continued, no longer joking whatsoever, instead he found himself pulled into Loki's doubt and was determined to smash all the doubt there was, probably because he was drunk and being drunk made him make strange decisions. Loki stared forward, silent.

The silence continued for a few minutes before Loki opened his mouth to speak again. "...Thank you." Tony turned and looked at him again, flashing a quick grin before going back to sitting in a relaxed position in his seat, doing his best to not blurt things out to keep the situation from becoming awkward. He could slowly feel himself sobering up ever so slightly, perhaps a little too quickly. "Now then, about this whole energy thing, what did you mean by it's from Asgard? Are we being invaded or something? “Tony suddenly asked, remembering the reason why Loki had sought him out in the first place. Loki shook his head lightly and mumbled something inaudible before speaking clearly again. "I am still unsure of what it is, but I am able to determine that it is from Asgard, if it is, something or someone is trying to bring me back. It is probably nothing though since the energy is so weak, almost as if it is not even there. It shouldn't be an issue; it may just be stray energy." Loki explained, though it seemed as if he was trying to make it sound better than it was, perhaps he didn't want to think of what were to happen if it was truly a threat. Perhaps he was scared of something. Tony only shrugged. "Eh, it's probably nothing-"

It was then that an explosion rocked the Helicarrier as the lower storage ripped apart and began to fall into the water below.

“Get your scepter, NOW.” Tony ordered frantically, bursting out of the room to get his suit with Loki trailing behind, terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been waiting to get to this part, brace yourselves! As usual, feel free to leave a comment and I will work to respond to each and every one! Enjoy!


	10. Slipping into conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The attack begins, and Loki accidentally lets a little secret slip that he had hoped to keep in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god, i am so sorry this took so long. This will hopefully not happen again. I don't have much to say about this, but here you go, the first half of the battle!

The explosion was devastating, tearing apart the entire storage section and engulfing anything near it in excruciatingly hot flames, instant death. Anyone even near the storage area was dead by now, their bodies burning to a black crisp of nothing. Shit was about to get crazy. Loki did his best to keep up with Tony despite the fact that his body was weak and fear was pulsing through him like lightning. They had come for him, they were here to take him back to Odin and show no mercy. He didn't want to go home. "Stay close, Fury's going to be hunting you down with a loaded rife around now, and I doubt that he won't shoot." Tony huffed urgently, running through the halls frantically, trying to get to his suit as fast as possible. Loki said nothing, he only ran. His body was feeble from the deficiency of food he was dealing with, only making the pain in his legs worse than he expected it to be.

He didn't know how to react when Fury jumped out from the corridor ahead of them with a rocket launcher, rage painted on his face. Tony skidded to a halt, causing Loki to slam into him from behind as he was unable to stop fast enough. Tony paid no attention to the contact however. "Hey, Fury, the fuck is going on?!" Tony hollered, trying to shift his attention away from Loki as fast as possible. Tony was expecting a shotgun, not a rocket launcher. Fury was _definitely_ going to shoot, and he couldn't have that right now. Fury only advanced towards the two in a blind rage, aiming the rocket launcher at Loki furiously. "Open your eyes Iron Man! Is it not obvious that you were fucking stupid to let this monster stay on board!? Now look what happened! Look around!" Fury yelled, his enraged glare stabbing straight through Loki, watching as the panicking god froze in place, unable to move. He was going to shoot, he was insane. "Hey, hold it! He didn't do anything!" Tony argued frantically, standing in between Fury once more.  "And you have proof of that!?"

Tony gulped, he had to spill the beans or get blown to tiny bits of burning flesh, and option one sounded way better than option two. "He was with me when the explosion occurred, he's not at fault! But he knows why they're here!" Tony was trying way to hard here, and he couldn't catch himself that time. Loki knew he had to say something to get this under control; he needed them to know what they were up against and that there was no reason to blow him to bits, more importantly. "I-I am being hunted, Odin wants me back in Asgard, he is trying to force me back- I have no involvement in this!" He stuttered desperately, his words almost impossible to make out through his shaking voice. As if the God of Lies was to be taken seriously, though.  Fury was having none of it though; his finger was still placed firmly on the trigger. "Christ, Fury! Don't you freaking dare-"

Before Tony could finish, an arrow whizzed past his head from behind, barely missing Fury's arm by a few inches. He spun around to see an armored elf with a violent expression painted across his face, a loaded bow pointed directly at Loki's head. Loki looked as if he had just seen the most horrifying thing in the existence of the universe, frozen place and sporting a horrified expression. "Wretched son of Laufey." The elf mocked, moving closer towards the three. _‘Okay, shit. This is a real ambush here'_ Tony thought as he ran forward, pushing past Loki and suddenly found his fist in the face of the attacker with a sick cracking noise, knocking out the elf and nearly breaking his fist. "Can I get my suit now?" Tony asked as he turned around to find a bewildered Loki and a poker faced Fury staring at him.

Fury was silent for a second, probably considering the logic of his next decision and if it was worth it or not. "Both of you get the hell out there right now! Stark, you watch his every move and if he even looks hostile, kill him."

Loki wasn't how to react when Tony had him by the wrist and running towards the room that contained his suit, he just followed without a word.

* * *

 

Natasha was already up on the landing strip with a blade embedded in an elf's spine with Clint letting lose arrow after arrow as another archer came at them, receiving an arrow through his skull before he could fire. "Tell me how we got caught up in this again?" Natasha asked quickly, grabbing her knife from the elf's spine and stabbing it through another's head moments later.  "Beats me Nat, but something tells me that we're going to need help sooner or later." Clint huffed, taking the sheer number of enemies into consideration, they were outnumbered and they couldn't keep this up forever.

 Natasha quickly pressed a button on the small communication device mounted to her ear before stabbing another elf seconds later, unable to get a chance to speak without being interrupted. "Captain, what the hell's taking you so long?!" She shouted, the message transmitting through her earpiece in no time whatsoever. There was momentary static over the line before Steve's voice could be heard at her end. "I'm on my way; hold them off until I get there!" Natasha responded with a quick "Got it" before she found herself dodging an arrow that whizzed past her head and hit an attacker that was closing in at the time.

 "Shit, I'm out of arrows!" Clint hissed before he pulled out a dagger that he used as an alternative weapon. "These guys are archers, think of something!" Natasha yelled, feeling the effects of the battle slowly beginning to wear her down. This couldn't last forever; something had to be done sooner than later or this wouldn't end like they wanted it to.

* * *

 

It took no time for Tony to drag Loki with him to the lab, leaving the god both winded and confused. "Why...here?" Loki huffed, his heart still racing and his body weak with fear and dread at the possibility of his forced return to Asgard. "You need your magic stick of destiny, don't you? I remember very clearly that you did more damage with it than without." Tony replied urgently, walking over to scepter and taking it off of the stand. He was already in his armor, his helmet off at the moment however.

Loki didn't want to fight, he couldn't, and he knew how it would end for him. He didn't want to be dragged back to Asgard and watch both Thor and him be ruined by Odin, he couldn't. He already felt weak, his legs were no more than a pair of toothpicks and his mind was foggy and exhausted. He couldn't fight like this, let alone be seen. Instead, he leant against a wall and stared, just stared at Tony without a word, his fearful expression clear on his face. Tony tilted his head in confusion, and then he looked unamused. "Look, c'mon. You can't chicken out on us now." He groaned, walking over to him to hand him his scepter. Loki stayed planted against the wall, shaking out of fear ever so slightly. "No- No you do not understand, I cannot fight." He argued weakly, he already knew that trying to speak against this would be stupid, but he found himself trying to anyways. He had no way out of this, but here he was, acting like a child. Just a scared, scared child who didn’t want to do something that could cause them harm. Tony pursed his lips, stress apparent on his face. He was still holding the scepter; Loki was seemingly refusing to take it from him. But he couldn’t have that right now; sure, he was taking a risk by trusting the god and giving him his weapon back, but he could help them in this, he knew how to fight them. “Sorry reindeer, but you have to! I can’t see any true reason not to; don’t you want your revenge anyways?”

Loki froze. 

_‘Is this what he sees this as…revenge?’_ He thought, in absolute shock and confusion. He trusted this man; he let him into his more personal space, for what? For this? This was not what he had trusted before; this was a man who assumed that he knew what was going on. He didn’t want revenge, he didn’t want to be known as someone who avenged himself; he just wanted to be left alone.

With that, his emotions slipped.

His slumped slightly, and for the first time in six months, he felt rage bubble inside himself. “You think this is about revenge?” He murmured, forcing himself to keep his eyes averted from Tony’s glare. Tony only shrugged, and walked forward a few more steps. “That’s not what I’m getting at here! We can deal with this later; right now I have to be up there helping the rest of us, not arguing with you down here!” Tony hissed, his temper slowly rising due to the tension of knowing that he could be avoiding all of this and up there helping people and making sure that there were no more casualties, but instead he was down here arguing with someone who could do them good.

Loki let out a weak laugh, and for a moment, his old self resurfaced. “Us? You know that I am not one of you, you know that very well- you just want to keep me alive to see what I am, you could care less about what happens to me in the long run-“Before he could finish, Tony advanced on him even further, apparently angry with him as his face was painted with an expression of annoyance and anger. “This isn’t funny. Stop it and quit complaining, quite frankly you haven’t told me that anything actually went wrong with you back in Asgard so you need to just-”

He stopped when he realized what he had done by uttering those words, what damage he had just caused. Loki began to scream at him, rage and disbelief dripping through him like spilled blood. “THEY WILL TAKE ME BACK TO ASGARD AND TORTURE AND RAPE ME LIKE THE DOG I AM! ARE YOU BLIND, MAN OF IRON!?” The screaming continued, and Tony took a step back as the God stumbled forward a few steps in total blind rage. “THEY DID NOTHING BUT MOCK ME, NOTHING BUT RUIN ME! I WAS JUST A TOOL OF THEIRS! THEY WILL DO JUST THE SAME WHEN THEY RECLAIM ME! ARE YOU BLIND!?” It looked as if he would kill the mechanic standing before him if he had his scepter in his hands, thank god Tony hadn’t handed it to him yet. “I HAVE BEEN COMPRIMISED, YOU FOOL! I AM NOTHING TO ODIN, I AM NOTHING TO ASGARD! I WOULD RATHER BE KILLED ON THIS DAY THEN LET MY SELF BE SEEN AND TAKEN BACK! YOU ARE BLIND!” Loki was breathing at a dangerously fast rate, it was as if he was going to collapse at any moment if he didn’t pass out from stress first.

He couldn’t watch Loki do this to himself, he had just lost it right in front of him. He rammed him against the wall, his hands restraining the god by the wrists, pushing them up against the wall. “Stop.” Tony begged in a monotone voice, and he did. It was then that in the sudden silence Loki realized that there were tears streaming down his own face, he was crying.

_How pathetic._

Tony could barely believe that Loki was even capable of crying, but he obviously was. Tony had known him now as a silent and skittish person, but he didn’t take even a second to look a little deeper and see what was really going on, now he was seeing it in person. It almost made him feel sick now that he realize what really was underneath the god that he found himself trying to understand, because now he was sure as hell that he wasn’t doing a very good job at it. “I’m sorry, look, just breathe. Don’t freak out any more unless you want them to hear you, alright?” Tony insisted, still restraining him tightly against the wall so he couldn’t lash out or hurt himself; he probably would be doing so at the moment if he wasn’t being held down. Chances are they had already been heard though, Loki turned out to be one hell of a loud screamer and Tony was willing to guess that his screams would easily be heard from very far away.

He didn’t protest one bit, instead he just allowed himself to be restrained against the lab wall, his anger had changed into fear the second that Tony laid hands on him. But somehow, despite the anger that he had managed to stir just moments before, he was now just confused. Confused as to why the mechanic that despised him so at the beginning was trying to help him even now, he didn’t know the answer to it all. Despite his massive shift in emotion, the tears kept flowing without a hint of slowing in pace.

“Look, we can make a deal here. Just hear me out and we can sort this out later.” Tony cautiously released his tight grip around Loki’s wrists, and took a step back as the god slumped to the floor in a single motion, his hands limp and his skin pale. He was still shaking out of fear and his breathing was strained and irregular due to the freakout he just experienced, he looked even more wrecked than Tony could ever recall, this was a new low for him.

“I’m sorry.” Loki mumbled weakly, his voice coming out as more of a choke instead of a steady vocal. Tony tilted his head in confusion, why the hell was he apologizing? “Drop it; you kind of looked as if you needed to get that out of your system.” He responded, carefully extending his arm, offering to help him up. Oddly enough, Loki took his arm and staggered up, nearly falling over again while he got to his feet. “Okay, look, Shit happens. But we need to get out there now.”

Loki pursed his lips and looked away, shaking his head subtlety in protest. Tony let out an agitated groan before pausing for a moment, and next thing, he was standing silently. The silence continued for several more moments, leaving Loki both puzzled and partially concerned for his own well-being. Then, he shoved the scepter into Loki’s hands and a brightened expression appeared on his face. “I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! As for the posting times, I am honestly sorry. I got away from this and didn't know how to get this chapter moving very well, I feel pretty bad at the moment.
> 
> If you have anything you would like to say, then please comment and I will respond to each and every comment personally! Read on and don't forget to keep me in check with posting dates! ♥


	11. Slipping into conflict (2/3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle rages on, but they gain anything but the upper hand, things are beginning to slip.  
> That, and Tony learns the truth in a horrid way; he gets to meet someone special personally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
> 
> I am so sorry for taking forever, forgive me. But I just want to let you know that no matter how long it takes, there will always be another chapter sooner or later. This will be done. No abandoning here. Don't you freaking worry.
> 
> On another note, I finished this today because it seems that we have lost a hiddlestoner. On instagram, someone named India who is a huge hiddlestoner, was cutting and she couldn't stop the bleeding. She's gone now, and I just wanted to do something today, make myself feel better. Her instagram is sexualhiddleston, and she's gone...or that's what we know so far. Pray that she wakes up, pray that she's still here, but we have nothing yet, its been forever and we think its over.
> 
> Read on as always. Im sorry, but I feel horrid right now.

There was not the slightest indication that the number of attackers was letting up, they just kept coming from every direction with no identified source, this was a full on power play right here. This was going to become an obvious problem if someone didn’t stop them sooner or later, that was for sure.

Steve had finally suited up and was sprinting at full speed out towards the landing strip where Clint and Natasha were surrounded at every angle, slowly falling back into a tighter and tighter circle as every second passed, slowly being overpowered. “Over here you creeps!” Steve shouted, getting the attention of all of the elves, causing them to turn their attention away from the two assassins that had surrounded.

Bad choice, _very very bad choice._

A relived expression could be seen on their faces for a moment before they took the opportunity to strike, Natasha stabbing a few in the back and Clint knocking a section out with his bow. Steve advanced forward, launching his shield towards the group and landing right smack in the middle of an elf’s head, breaking it’s skull with a sickeningly satisfying crunch that startled one standing beside it at the time, receiving a knife to the head seconds later from Natasha. The group of elves quickly snapped back to reality and began to fight back, but they were quickly overpowered as Capitan America joined them in the tight knight battlefield. “Thanks for showing up.” Natasha huffed; still working on catching her breath as the group of elves slowly fell to the ground one by one, dead bodies littering the landing strip.

 

At last, they were given a second to breathe, but they kept themselves in a tight battle formation as the next wave slowly emerged. “What in the world are these things?” Steve asked, watching as another group emerged from the sides of the Helicarrier, slowly moving in towards the three.

 

“They appear to be elves of some sort. I think at least.” Clint replied, quickly gathering a bundle of arrows from one of the elves quivers and putting them in his own, they fit just enough to work. He quickly loaded one of his own arrows and shot it at the ground towards one of the approaching groups, detonating it seconds later, burning the group to a crisp.

 

Natasha readied herself for the oncoming group, getting her blade in position for high speed stabbing. “You think Loki has to do with all of this?” She asked, Steve turning his head slightly at the question, not expecting that to come up.

 

“I’m not sure, but these guys do kind of bring him to mind, but why would he try again on a smaller scale? Stupid idea if you ask me.”

 

 Loki didn’t make quick moves like this; he would have taken them over by now if this was his plan. Not only that, but Steve had a good point, why would he try to attack them when he was so easy to target?

They would find him and kill him right away, and considering that the Avengers had overthrown his alien attack, he should know by now. None of it would add up, Loki wasn’t this stupid.

The group closed in, and the battle continued, but this time something was different. The enemy seemed to be more organized, and more were grouping at a faster rate, coming at them even faster. In minutes, the two assassins and the super solider were losing energy, and the fight.

“Shit! We can’t keep this up!” Clint groaned, trying to ignore the pain coming from the newly gained stab wound on his arm. He couldn’t aim as well while the pain was fresh; this was going to be a problem. “We don’t have any choices, we have to!” Natasha yelled, out of breath but still swinging violently.

They were once more in a tight knit circle, falling back slowly.

Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard through their communication devices that brought both relief and dread to their faces. “Missiles coming your way, I would duck if I were you.”

And they did just that as a sudden barrage of red and yellow homing missiles came bombing towards the group, engulfing them in flames. The explosion rocked the landing strip, but none of them felt their skin burn or even the slightest burst of heat, nothing was touching them. It was as if it was there, but it wasn’t, or the other way around.

When the flames and heat finally passed and they could see again, they found themselves shielded by a ball of green light, definitely magic. “What the hell?” Clint sputtered, surprised by the strange sight.

Despite witnessing magic when Loki first invaded, he didn’t get to see it like this, it was stable instead of volatile. Seconds later, it faded away, leaving them exposed once more.

The surviving attackers had fled, obviously realizing that they were overpowered by a ton, but they would probably be back sooner or later.

The three slowly got to their feet, Tony flying in and landing a few feet away from them, quickly scanning the area to see no new attackers just yet, but they would be back soon. Obviously.

“Sorry for being late, had to get some backup if you know what I mean.” Tony huffed, opening up his helmet for a moment so he could talk a little easier. Natasha cocked an eyebrow and gave him a confused stare, there wasn’t any backup nearby, or at least that’s what it seemed like. “That’s nice, but what the hell was that a few seconds ago?” She asked, directing her question towards the barrier that had protected them seconds earlier, she doubted it was Loki as he was probably far too scared to show himself in this situation, considering how he was when she last saw him.

But at that moment, Loki materialized several feet from Tony, scepter in hand. Everyone became silent, wide eyed in shock. He looked scared, breathing deeply yet radiating a general sense of unease. His face was slightly red, as if he was crying at some point.

“Well, shit.” Clint mumbled in disbelief, unsure of how to properly react to the weakened god joining them in a warzone that he probably wasn’t equipped for. He almost looked frailer then he did before, his face even paler then when he was first brought onto the Helicarrier. _‘Shit, does he even eat? He looks like a walking skeleton’_ Clint thought, almost feeling concerned towards the current state of the god, no one deserved to get to such a state no matter what they had done, okay, except for a few exceptions but still.

He shouldn’t be out here.

“Okay, I know this is weird, but trust me, he _can_ help us.” Tony blurted out, the silence becoming overly awkward. Loki was standing uncomfortably, he didn’t like being out here where everyone could see him. It would only take one elf to spot him and Odin would know he was here right away-wait.

_Fuck, he probably already knows, that’s why they’re here._ Loki shuddered weakly, fidgeting his hands nervously. How pathetic he had become, unable to keep himself calm under such a situation, he could do so much, but here he was silently shaking like a leaf, surrounded by people who could keep him safe nonetheless. But would they?

“I have no idea why you think this is a good idea, but we’re just going to have to follow along, aren’t we?” Steve commented, keeping himself on high alert, thinking that he spotted something creeping behind a plane, but it disappeared seconds later. He kept an extra eye on the area though, just in case. Tony paused for a moment and glanced at Loki, he still looked pretty bad from his freak-out, but he was doing better at least. He had to stay calm for this though, he just had to unless he wanted to get killed in this mess. “Unfortunately so, but it’s a plan, and my plans tend to work, just saying.” Tony responded with a shrug, although he was collected on the surface, he was sweating buckets on the inside like hell, and there was no level of exaggeration possible to explain what that meant.

This was either going to work out alright or crash and burn like hell.

Natasha only meant to quickly glance at Loki, but she found herself staring in shock when she only meant for it to be a second. It brought back memories. He was frail, weak, pale, scared. Damn her for feeling a strange sense of sympathy towards him, but she had been on both sides of what they had theorized him going through. She knew what happened during those things from both angles, and that just made the whole thing a little bit worse in her perspective, but she had a strange feeling in her gut that whoever tortured him enjoyed it, it just looked that way. She tore her stare away seconds later, Loki tried ignoring the fact that she ever even glanced.

At that moment, a number jumped out from behind a number of hiding spots and came towards them in a strong formation with their weapons drawn.

Loki gulped nervously and felt the beads of sweat drop from his face, he wasn’t ready.

“Back!” Steve yelled, advancing instantly on an oncoming group and causing them to hesitate long enough for a few troops to shoot them dead from afar without being overly noticed. Clint and Natasha were already jumping to action and Tony was up in the air seconds later, forcing the group back with a barrage of missiles and pure force.

But the enemies weren’t going after them; they were trying to get through them. They were trying to get to Loki, who had run to get himself close as possible to everyone else for protection. “Push them away! We got this!” Natasha shouted, pushing them back even further.

Everything seemed to have been put under control in an instant, until one that seemed to look a little different and a little stronger pushed through Steve with less effort then the rest.

Loki recognized his face instantly and felt his entire body convulse with shock, his face turning nearly pure white and his ears filling with noise as a memory slammed into him with an incredible force that caused the world to freeze around him.

 

* * *

 

_His body felt raw, his skin torn and his nerves pulsing with pain as he lay curled on the small uncomfortable bed that was covered in material that only tore at his skin even more, so intentionally, obviously. He was breaking, and he couldn’t stop it, he couldn’t save himself anymore. It was going to be over for him, he wanted out but they wouldn’t let him, they just kept tormenting him, torturing him. He would scream but they would come and silence him. It was a miracle that his lips hadn’t been sewn shut yet, that would have done wonders for them. He froze when he heard footsteps in the dim light, cutting through the rotting stench of the poorly kept chambers like a knife. It wasn’t time yet though, but it obviously was going to be now._

_But he only felt even more fear when the one elf turned the corner and stared right at him, causing a few loose tears to pour out onto his face out of pure instinct. “On the floor, monster.” The elf hissed, forcing open the bars. He did as told out of fear, and shook violently as his skin paled even further. Lust was dripping across the creature’s face, and Loki’s eyes widened when he realized what was going to happen to him. “P-please….n-no…I-I Beg o-of y-you…” He begged, but it was too late._

_He screamed until his throat went raw._

_He was left shaking on the floor, hours later, his body sore and tears streaming down his face, silent as a corpse._

* * *

 

He didn’t even realize that he had been knocked to the floor, the same face rearing to stab him as Tony flew in from behind. “It is a pleasure seeing you again, but it will be even more of a pleasure when I can see you back where you should be-“Before he could finish and bring down his knife to stab him, Tony came barreling in from behind and slammed him off, sending both the Elf and him flying around the ship and towards a quieter area, he wanted to do this personally.

Loki only had seconds to try to react to what had just happened, he had seen that face again, the one that used and abused him endlessly, the worst of all who did this to him. The world was frozen around him, his ears were pounding with an overwhelming screaming coming from his head, and his eyes were blurring. He was in mental agony, collapsed on the ground, completely unaware of what was going on around him, unaware of the people who he once called his problems trying to stop him from being killed, defending him. Defending a life that didn’t deserve to be saved, in his mind.

They were just doing this for Thor, just doing this so that they wouldn’t be hurt by his wrath, his unseen anger that he could purge up in moments when everything was tearing his mental state apart. The Thor only he had seen and a Thor that he hoped to never see again, that was the only reason they were helping him, the only reason. Tony Stark? He was doing this just to make it seem more real, this was all a ploy, all an illusion set up to stop him from going mad, well he was probably very well about to go mad at this very moment, lose it, crack. No one would care, they would just drive their knives through his head and run, they would kill him. Everything blurred and distorted in his mind, he felt himself tear apart, but then something else happened.

A hand reached out and grabbed his wrist and forced him up onto trembling legs, the blurring and noise leaving as he saw the red haired assassin’s urgent expression and suddenly he heard her yelling that sounded like static moments before. “WHAT THE HELL’S WRONG WITH YOU!? SNAP OUT OF IT!” His eyes focused again, but he still stood still, hyperventilating.

He only truly came into focus when she slapped him across and everything came back to focus. He saw the scene around him and his first and only reaction was to teleport far, far away where no one would find him.

That’s what he did.

 

* * *

 

Tony sent the elf flying into the ship wall, hearing the distinct snap of bones as he collided hard. The creature let out a yell as it fell to the ground, spitting morbid curses at Tony. He didn’t hear half of them though, he was pissed as hell for some reason, and he just wanted to punch this punk in the face hard. And he did just that, his metal covered fist slamming hard into the elf, breaking his nose and making it scream. It lay motionless for a moment, and Tony took the moment to lift up his faceplate and take a good look at the thing that was trying to tear Loki to shreds moments ago.

It was clearly an elf, or it looked like one. Its skin had a red tint to it and it had numerous scars covering its face and lips, as if he had been through a lot of shit, or just general shit. He had long dark grey hair, and his eyes were pale and seemed to glow slightly, he looked downright menacing.

Tony grabbed the elf and pulled him up, slamming him against the wall. “Don’t touch my stuff.” He hissed angrily, he was pissed. He was pissed because someone decided to try to kill Loki. He was clearly losing it, dear god.

The elf opened his eyes and grinned fiendishly at him, staring directly into the mechanic’s eyes. “Well, well. Looks like you want to claim my property, but I cannot allow that.” It mocked, sounding amused and twisted. It only grinned harder when Tony’s face erupted with rage, but it stopped when he punched him directly in the face. “You don’t fuckin dare. Why do you think he belongs to you!? Because he belongs to no one you freak!” Tony yelled, feeling himself seething with rage, he didn’t care why he was angry at this point; he just wanted to ruin this freak.

“Well you see, he was much more fun when he was screaming in agony while we tortured him below Asgard, but now he’s free and we would like him back.”

Tony’s eyes widened and he went silent. There it was, there it was. The proof, the proof that he was tortured. It was all so true, all so true, and now it was here and clear, the sick, disgusting truth.

He ears filled with noise and he just kept punching and punching, blood was flying everywhere, the walls, the ground, his face. He didn’t even give a shit that his faceplate was up; he was way too enraged for anything right now.

Then he suddenly felt hot pain in his abdomen, and saw a dagger shoved through his suit and into his flesh. The elf smiled through his bloody bruised face and then kicked him to the ground. He screamed in pain, feeling his body scream at him, blood gushing out of his wound.

“You desire him, but you refuse to believe it. You just don’t see it yet.” The elf spat, and then he threw himself overboard out into the blue sky.

 

* * *

 

“We need more backup above! Locate Stark as soon as possible; we need to get him back online and in the fight pronto!” Fury yelled, trying to bring order to the chaos that was surrounding the outside of the ship. No one was coming inside, but outside was bullshit at the moment. “Director Fury, I can’t locate Loki! He’s gone!” Maria Hill shouted, going back to calling out orders instantly after informing Fury with utmost fear and stress. His eye bulged for a second in dread; this was bad, really, really freaking bad. “Find him! We can’t have him setting us up right now, regardless of what happened on the landing strip, this could be a trick still!” He shouted, trying to keep himself in check so he didn’t fall apart. They wouldn’t lose to this, they had a hell of a good team, and this was going to be fine, they would pull through.

 

He hoped they would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed. This is the second out of the three parts to this. Once all the fighting is done, were moving on to some angst and fluff. We're getting there, don't worry. 
> 
> Sorry for keeping you waiting... love you guys...☻♥


	12. Slipping into conflict (2.5/3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki saves the dying Tony, Tony intends to be the cause of some dying elves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god, oh godddddd  
> I went through all of the holidays completely blank of this fic, and only an hour ago I realized that I had done ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING.
> 
> I just quickly pulled this out of my brain to calm you all down while in a total panic, I promise the conclusion or should i say the last .5 of this will come out and be way longer.
> 
> URCHEWI8OICUWYR I AM SO STUPID IM SORRY BUT AT LEAST THE FIC ISN'T DEAD, RIGHT?

“Shit!” Tony hissed as he grasped tightly at the stab wound at his side, feeling a sense of dreadful pain shoot through his body as blood dripped from the wound; he was going to end up dying from blood loss before anyone could help him if he didn’t get help fast, and that meant _fast_. “Hell no, not dying like this, man up Tony!” He groaned at himself, still lying on the ground as the pain was far too much for him to stand up with.

The freak had managed to stab right through his suit, penetrating through its thick metal plating and right into his side, fuck it hurt so badly. The bastard was strong to be able to hurt him like that, disturbingly strong.

This guy must have been some sort of mutant to have that level of strength, or he was just like that but one way or another he was in pain and the monster was gone; for now at least.

Despite the shooting pain and impending death that was coming his way, his mind had managed to drift once more to Loki, and he somehow felt the pain dull for a moment.

His mind drifted to the torturer that had stabbed him moments ago, his strength and pure terror factor stitched into his very being, oh how Loki must have suffered under the bastard’s force, how much pain he must have felt.

All the unimaginable agony he must have felt dealing with that same pain, day after day, never getting a chance to be relived for even a second, forced to suffer day after day, never seeing the light of the day, _being raped even, as he had said in person._ It was all so disgusting, but what would happen if they were to win and take him back?

Would anyone even care?

Would Thor come to help him?

Did Thor even know what the fuck was even going on?

He knew exactly what would happen if Loki were to be taken back to Asgard, he knew exactly what they would do to him, what they would do to make him feel unimaginable pain.

Everything would go back to ‘normal’ just as it was, Thor was happy as ever before, completely blank to the pure suffering that his Brother that he loved so dearly was going through as he smiled; no, there was no way that he would know and be like that, there was no way he would sit back like that. No one knew, no one in the family, no one of Thor’s allies, maybe his parents, but other than that, it was so dull, so damn terrible.

But would it go back to normal? No. No it wouldn’t, not now that they knew what was going on. Loki had done horrid things, but still, the Avengers would **not** sit quietly through that.

They would be dammed sure to tell Thor, they would be damned not to tell him and stop him from bringing back his broken brother if they could. They would defend him- they already were, they are right now. That’s what they were doing, fighting for not just themselves, but ultimately they were fighting for Loki.

He wouldn’t let anyone hurt the fool, he wouldn’t let it happen and he sure as hell wasn’t going to question why he felt like this, he wasn’t going to let anything influence his choices on what he was going to do, he was Iron man.

‘ _These are just dying thoughts aren’t they?’_ He thought to himself, watching as the world around him slowly began to fog up little by little, he hadn’t even realized how much blood he had lost in this time, he was such a fool.

It was at that moment that an Elf jumped from above, landing on the platform that he was lying on, and pointed its bow directly at his head.

_Fuck._

He couldn’t lift his arms, he was too weak, he couldn’t even fucking move, this was it, the end. The elf grinned madly, and pulled back the string on his bow, readying to shoot. Its mouth twisted into a sick grin, and it spoke.

“Good nig-hurghhhhhhk“

A familiar blade suddenly shot through the Elves chest, and it fell to the ground, dead.

Tony thought he was hallucinating, because before him was now the same black haired god, still terrified as ever, saving his life. He must have lost a lot of blood, because there was no way that just happened.

“No” Loki whimpered, running over to Tony and kneeling down beside him, he didn’t know what brought him to save him, but he wasn’t about to question his intentions, the man was about to die. He was scared as hell, but he still was going to do everything in his power to save him, he had to.

He looked directly into his hazy brown eyes, and for a moment he felt a different kind of fear that went away seconds later but left him feeling motivated and urged him to do even more to save him, he had to live, and he had to pay him back for all the times he listened to him.

Tony stared back at him and laughed deliriously, clearly not in full focus due to blood loss. “Hey there reindeer, what are you doing here?” He mumbled, smiling. How the hell did he smile in a situation like this? How did he do it?

Loki didn’t respond, but he felt weak, he felt terrified, terrified that he might fail, if he did it would be all over, all over for the Avengers; Stark was a force to be reckoned with. His arms shaking, he placed his hands over Tony’s armour, and felt his heart flip, causing him to flinch but he ignored it, and began to pour his magic into him. Eyeing his wound carefully, watching as it slowly came back together and it sealed up perfectly.

He let out a massive sigh of relief; he didn’t think he was really able to do it.

Tony felt his vision begin to slowly come back to focus, and he saw the god above him, hands resting tensely atop his armour. ‘ _Holy shit’_ he thought, and in an instant, forced himself up causing Loki to jump backwards and stumble to his feet, still looking quite stressed.

He didn’t feel any pain in his wound, matter of fact, he felt like new. But the bigger question was now what he was supposed to say to the quivering god, how the hell did one reply to someone saving your life? “…Thanks.” He finally forced out, and watched as Loki’s eyes darted away and returned with a small nod.

Shit, he still looked terrible. Hell, he looked even paler before, almost as if he was going to fall over, matter of fact he probably was going to any moment. He was taking small short breaths and he swayed slightly, had his actions put him in even more danger?

“You look like shit, get inside and away from everything if you want to still be here at the end of the day, these guys are going to take you the first chance they get if you fall over.” Tony ordered, only to watch as Loki teleported away once more in a burst of magic.

With that he was alone again, and JARVIS spoke up.

“Sir, the arc reactor appears to have taken in his magic.” The robotic butler said in a robotic voice, causing Tony to jump out of fear of what the hell that might mean. “Holy shit, JARVIS, is it affecting me in any way!?” He shouted, now concerned for his life.

“No sir, but you do appear to have Infinite energy.”

His face lit up and he activated his thrusters, shooting out towards the fight up above. “Good, let’s finish this once and for all.”

He needed to repay Loki, and keep him safe.

 

No elves were getting their hands on him today, not any day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, sorry this is so short but I needed to give you all some level of closure that this isn't dead, I promise it won't ever be dead. I just wanted to break the cliffhanger for you guys, as I left you all at an intense part, sorry about that. I also promise that once this section is over I will be able to update more, this is kind of hard to write but once we get back to the normal stuff I'll be fine. Sorry again!
> 
>  
> 
> Please do leave a comment, I want to hear what you have to say, and of course, read on!♥


	13. Slipping into conflict (3/3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle ends, but things are only about to get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE

Those fuckers were going to pay, that's all that Tony cared about at the moment, they were going down and he was going to get them down with all the power he had, which was ironically a lot at the moment due to the little help Loki had given him earlier. He was flying at top speed up to the deck of the Helicarrier, his mind racing but in a sort of euphoric focus all at once.

His task was clear to his brain, he had get all of these freaks off of the ship, clear the area, get rid of them. Get them away from Loki, keep him safe and keep them from hurting him. If they get to Loki, it would be over, that was their only reason for being here, they weren’t here to attack the Helicarrier, they were here for Loki and Loki only. He had to make that clear to everyone, up until now they were just fighting them off, and that was it. They had to be organized, or at least more organized. He switched on his communication device and started talking. “Listen up, these guys are only after Loki, when they get him, they leave!” He was getting closer and closer to the deck, his mind racing.

A response suddenly came. “What do you suppose we do about that then!?” Natasha shouted, a few similar replies coming from the rest of the Avengers. Oh shit, that was a good question; he hadn’t planned that part at all. What else were they supposed to do other than what they were already doing?

A sudden thought came to his mind, and he figured something out. “Get Clint to guard the damaged area of the Helicarrier, they can get in from there and chances are that Loki’s hiding inside the ship, they find him, they leave, not what we want!” Tony ordered, he hadn’t realized until now that there was an opening there, dear god, how dumb was he!?

“On it.” Clint replied, and was seemingly on his way. Tony reached the deck and saw Natasha and Steve being overwhelmed by a large number of elves, they were in a tight spot, that was clear. Tony went into a dive and readied his missiles, flying towards the large gathering of elves. “Take this you freaks!” Tony shouted out, and sent out a barrage of missiles towards the elves, creating a large explosion on the deck, Steve and Natasha ducking to safety.

When the heat cleared, the deck was littered with charred bodies, Tony landing on his feet atop a few dead bodies. Natasha and Steve got back to their feet, looking somewhat charred. “Jesus Iron man, warn us before you do that.” Natasha hissed, grabbing her neck in pain. Steve looked like he had managed to avoid getting too hurt, to their luck. “So, uh, what now? Are more coming?” Steve asked, readying himself again. “Not sure, probably, but they seem to be slowing down, we might be getting them at last.” Tony replied, but he was mostly saying that out of blind faith, to be honest.

But he wasn’t lying; the frequency of elves turning up was slowing down, perhaps when he killed that bigger guy they started to slow down? Perhaps he was a leader of some sort…then again, for one to be responsible for torturing Loki, you were probably important. A few more crawled up the side of the deck, and they readied themselves. “Or not.” Natasha mumbled.

 

* * *

 

 

Clint had positioned himself by the wreckage, a large hole in the Helicarrier where the explosion occurred. It was bad, really. Clint had been sitting there for the longest time, only a few elves showing up, he had gotten them all when they came, they were killed long before they got close to him. This was way too easy, something was wrong. Another jumped out at him, he shot it and it fell off the ship, plummeting into the sea below. Suddenly, three jumped out from all sides, and one grabbed him and another readied a dagger. Clint knocked out first attacked but was grabbed again, being smacked over and over again, being beaten into the ground endlessly.

“Shit!” Clint hissed, trying to reach for his intercom but his hand was pinned down, he was trapped. He tried kicking himself free, but they had him fully held down, he was in trouble. The blade was readied and Clint watched as he was flipped onto his back and the blade came down.

He thought this was it, and then a sudden explosion ripped across the area, and they were blown off of him, and the sound of collapsing metal above him became prominent. He got to his feet, and saw Loki by his side, oh, he helped him.

Before either could do anything, they were buried by a barrage of metal above both of them.

 

Atop the deck, the elves suddenly started to flee, running off in the opposite direction. “What the hell?” Natasha questioned looking around, trying to figure out what was going on. “They’re fleeing…?” Steve mumbled, getting back to his feet, confused.

Tony felt his blood go cold, he remembered what he said. They were here for Loki, and Loki only.

He bolted off into the air in a panic, he had to find Loki before it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god, I'm so sorry for abandoning this for a while, but it's back! Also, sorry this one is so short, I've left the fandom for a while and need to get back in gear, but hey, I AM ALIVE.


	14. Falling down (1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor returns to Asgard after his long staged search for Loki, fearing that his plan may fail at the very last minute, but will it? Perhaps his worries are faulty, just perhaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a short and sweet update, I feel bad for you guys, I need to keep on top of this ;-;

It was over, he could search no more, he had run out of places to look for Loki, and now he had to return to Asgard, alone. They had searched in every single realm, except for Midgard of course, but that was of Thor’s doing. He had convinced them that Loki would not return to earth no matter what kind of situation he was in, doing so would get him killed and destroyed by the rest of the Avengers, but of course, he was actually there.

Heimdall also knew that Loki was with the Avengers, safe and sound from Odin’s grasp, but that was also the problem; Heimdall knew where Loki was. All that Odin would have to do would be to force him to speak, force him to let loose the secret of where Loki was being hidden, but he had a lie for now.

Heimdall had made it very clear to Odin that Loki had used some sort of highly concentrated cloaking spell that made him undetectable to him, and if he was to search out Loki, he would have to do it manually, and that would do him no good whatsoever, it would take years to spot out every single patch of land in all of the nine realms, and perhaps even farther. To everyone except for him and Thor, Loki was hiding with all the effort he could possibly summon.

Regardless, the verdict was that finding Loki would be nearly impossible, and any further efforts would be unreasonable and pathetic to continue, so Thor had to return to Asgard whether he liked it or not, and truly, he didn’t like it or dislike it, because now he had a task at hand.

He was going to have to put on a show, lie to his father about not finding Loki, how his brother is most likely dead and will never be found again, he would have to put on a grand show for it to work, one filled with sorrow for his brother, it had to work, it had to.

He didn’t want to think about what would happen if it didn’t work, he knew that both him and Loki would suffer greatly. Loki would suffer far more however; Odin would be convinced that Loki tricked Thor into helping him escape, that he was played by the trickster and that he had no reason to punish him, only to punish Loki, and Thor knew that whatever type of punishment that would come for Loki would be filled with unimaginable pain, pain and suffering that a normal being would succumb to within seconds of being exposed to.

He was terrified really, Loki was going to be in a world of hurt if he didn’t make this work, so he had to.

Once Thor had returned to Asgard via the Bitfrost, there was not a single word of exchange between him and Heimdall, only a reassuring nod of communication, and Thor was leaving down along the Rainbow Bridge, his hammer gripped tightly and nervously in his hand, sweating slightly.

Whatever he did now was going to decide if Loki was going to live or die, and he wasn’t going to let his only brother die, even if it was the last thing that he was to do. But as he was walking down the brightly glowing Rainbow Bridge, something clicked in his head, and he froze on the spot. He suddenly started thinking, thinking very hard, he realized that there was yet another thing that he could do.

He stood there for a moment, his head clicking away, and then he turned around and ran back to the Bitfrost, he had an idea.

He just needed Jane Foster first.

Running back to the Bitfrost, he called out for Heimdall, who hadn't moved an inch. "I have to get back to Midgard, I can't explain it, just do it!" Heimdall gave him an odd look of confusion, but he simply agreed, getting to work at slowly starting up the Bitfrost.

"Don't do anything that will cost us." Heimdall reminded Thor, but he wasn't listening at all, and as he was swept away by the Bitfrost's magic, Heimdall couldn't help but worry about what he was planning to do.


	15. Falling down (2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OH HEY, LOOK, THIS FIC ISN'T DEAD. ISN'T IT A MI R A CLE?
> 
> I plan to keep working on this, so, there is hope my dear friends!

Tony’s heart was pounding, slamming against his chest at a speed that even he couldn’t calculate, it was painful, it hurt. He had to get to Loki, dear god, dear god. If those elves got him it would be the end for Loki, he would be stuck back in Asgard, and whatever happened to him before would happen all over again. Hell, Tony didn’t even know why he was this worried, but he was, his heart was slamming hard, one more beat at a harder force and his chest would explode with a massive eruption of a panic attack, he would lose control of his suit, he would lose all sense of direction, the air would shut him down, the open space far too fearful for his disturbed mind, and he would fall. He was breathing heavily, panting, fuck, fuck, FUCK. That’s when it hit him, his chest was beating at the speed of panic, he was in panic, he was _scared for **Loki.**_

There was the sound of structure breaking, a klang of metal that was downright painful sounding, like a shattering and tearing, regardless of where it was coming from, it was going to be a problem within seconds, it was going to be BAD. With that, a massive scrap of metal fell right above Tony as he sped through the air, and he couldn’t stop himself in time, it was too late.

He let out a scream as he felt his non dominant arm slam hard into the metal as it impacted, causing a sickening crack against his bones, oh, oh fuck, fuck. FUCK. “JARVIS! DAMAGE REPORT! NOW!” He screamed in agony, losing his flight path and he found himself heading right towards the ocean, he was flying downwards, his sense of direction was scrambled by the pain and blood pouring from his arm, he couldn’t focus, not with this pain.

“The skeletal structure in your arm has been fractured, the flesh has been punctured and you are in the middle of a panic attack, based on your increased heart rate and brain waves, medical attention is needed instantly.” Tony snarled, kicking wildly as he send his thrusters to maximum, sending him off diagonally upwards, he couldn’t think, and Jarvis being so damn calm? Not good. Not good for him. “D-damn it! I’m programming you with empathy when I get home after this!” He screeched, and then a thought hit him, and he lost all focus.

_When I get home after this._

 

Would he? With all of this? There was so much to consider right now, so much to go over, and so little time.

He was plummeting towards the water at high speed, he had a few minutes probably until he hit the water, sending him to the possibility of drowning, no one would get to him in time, and even if he wouldn’t drown, the blood loss would get him, was this doom? Was this death? What if he failed? What if they had Loki again? What if he missed that scrap metal? Would that damn Reindeer horn head be safe right now? Was this even worth it? What if Loki was safe all along? What if his stressed actions were all for nothing? What if this was the end, a horrible glory lacking ending for a Stark? How shameful…

 

And what about his…friends? The team he made? What about Pepper? Would this be their goodbye? Pulling his dead body out of the ocean if they even find him? Would they be guilty? Would they think that it was their fault for not being able to save him and bring him back? Would it just be the death of him, or the death of their strength too? They really were his friends in the end…he couldn’t change that one detail. They were a team, even if they were a weird team that didn’t seem to always work. They got around their differences, they made it work…

He must have been thinking for so long, because he could see the blue clearly now…looks like this was the end.  
  
But then one more thought came to him, a good one. This death….it was a death that showed he cared, he had a heart, this wasn’t some kind of death to glory, this was a death that happened because of his heart…he had a heart.

He closed his eyes, and waited for the end…hoping it wouldn’t be too bad.

 

It was then that a hand reached up and grabbed him out of the air, he could hear engines blaring, the shouts of someone familiar…and then his helmet ripped off of his head. But with that, he was blacked out, he was…no, he wasn’t going down like this, he had to get Loki.

“Stark! Stark! Talk! It’s me!” Steve yelled, trying to tear off the rest of his Armor, and that was when Tony snapped back into reality and accidentally punched Steve square in the face.  
  
\--  
  
A few minutes had passed, Tony was stripped clean of his armor, just sitting there in the ship, they had caught him just in time, Natasha, Bruce and Steve, that was. Tony was darting his head in every direction, desperately trying to get free. “Let me go Bruce, dammit!” He yelled, but Dr.Banner refused to stop restraining him, he wasn’t stupid, after all. “Sorry, I can’t. Your wound is still open and we haven’t even gotten you in a sling, that’s suicide. Just clam down will you, no one got hurt!” Bruce barked back, annoyed. Steve was sitting right by Tony, ready to also give some extra restraint if needed, and he looked….concerned and puzzled.

“What’s got you so damn worried anyways!? Stark, we’re safe, calm down! The attack is over, the Helicarrier is safe!” And Tony glared at him, his heart pounding. “Loki! Is Loki safe!? They came for him, dammit!” Tony growled, and Steve blinked. “I said multiple times over radio that he’s safe, Hawkeye and him were buried in rubble and both are being treated, didn’t you hear that!?”   


Tony froze for a moment and blinked, finally slowing down with his struggling. “Where is he now, that’s not enough detail!” He then tried to shove banner away, only to have Steve jump in and restrain his arms against the wall. “In the medical bay. He’s safe. Tony, relax. Your wounds are going to blow open.” Steve stated firmly, starting to feel somewhat stressed due to Tony’s panic, why was he so freaked out? He was never like this…not often at least.

 

Tony gave Steve one last struggle, before he finally gave in for the sake of his wound….he could even feel it shredding, well fuck.

 

\--

 

Loki was shaking, his body felt disturbingly frail, that damn doctor had seen all the scars too, this was too much, it was over for him, they would know, but that wasn’t even the worst part.   
  
He felt violated, he felt shaken, disturbed, in physical and mental agony. He had to be stripped down to be checked for wounds, and they all kept staring…they just stared, they stared at his bony structure, his endless wounds, they could barely focus on his actual injuries…or his recent ones. Now even Nick Fury knew…damn it all.

 

He was left alone in the room now, a small medical bed, one hand chained against the bedframe for safety, a small untouched meal that he had no plans on eating, a glass of water placed right by it that was resting on the nightstand, all in his reach. There was also a camera watching him…they were still scared of him, they still found him a monster.

Loki shuddered, they gave him a very covering robe, but he felt exposed, it was nothing like his robes, those kept tight against him, didn’t give the slightest hint of his wounds…but these were different, you could slightly see the wounds on his neck, the bruises, the scars, all of it… he was violated. But how did it matter to them? He was just a pathetic little toy that was sent here to be babysat…there was no one who cared about him here after all…except for those avengers-

Someone did care for him, but what difference did that make? He was still just sitting here to rot and die, he would die soon enough from starvation, no one could stop that from happening, that was his own choice, no one else could stop him from doing that, no one.

At that moment, the door opened up and a familiar face entered the room….Banner.

 

Ah, seems like they weren’t done tormenting him yet.


	16. Together for the wrong reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WOW WHATS THIS??? AN UPDATE???

It was dark in the house, not a single peep from anyone at any corner of the place, not a single cough, not a single footstep, not a single sound to be heard. 

The lab was also quiet there was no one in there why would there be? It was as if the place is almost abandoned. Of course it wasn't, Jane Foster wouldn't do that to her place. Her science and her lab was some part of her life to an extreme. It was what kept her up at night. It was what kept her going during times when she felt like she wanted to quit, during times after a bad breakup, during times when she felt like there's nothing else for her to do and more or less it was her life, that lab was rather important to her.

Jane foster was fast asleep at this point, it was night, why would she be up? Missing Thor? Well, that probably would be a valid reason actually. It had been a real long while since she had seen the God of Thunder, and she had no clue of his recent visit back to earth to drop of his brother, she was downright clueless. She had no knowledge of anything that was going on.

She was suddenly stirred by a heavy tapping at her door, she couldn't tell where it was coming from at first but then figured it was the door. "Visitor at this hour...?" She mumbled, trying to figure if she should go or not or call the cops, but that changed when she heard the sound of the door bursting open and someone walking in. She panicked and looked for something to defend herself, only to hear the noise of the being walking up her steps. "S-stay back, I'm armed!" She lied through her teeth, letting out a long hiss. Finally a voice returned. "Lady Jane?! You did not open your door! I feared the worst!" She froze at the voice... It was a dumb but familiar voice, it was Thor. "T-Thor? The hell?!" She got out of bed, she wasn't wearing much but fuck it- it was Thor. Who gave a crap? He walked into the room and froze when he saw her in basically nothing down to a bra and pyjama shorts, blinked, and then let out a cough. Jane sighed and then spoke, a slight redness on her face. "I... I was sleeping Thor. Now why are you here?" She sighed confusedly, only for Thor to let out a more concerned sigh. "... It's about Loki." He mumbled, and Jane's eyes widened, what had him here that Loki did? "Did he escape?!" She blinked, quickly walking over to get a robe for herself to wear to make it a little less indecent- this seemed to be serious after all. Like, rather serious. 

"So... Your father tortured Loki? You... You.. This is a joke isn't it? There's no way that he would be so fragile and that the avengers would take him in Thor... Are you drunk?" She mumbled, sitting down on her couch next to Thor and letting out a long sigh. "But it is all true... And you're trying to hide him from Odin?" Thor nodded with a sigh and then spoke just a little more. "And I need your help, my lady. Your tech can help us." He explained, and Jane looked up at Thor, leaning into him hopelessly. "That's not ethical." She mumbled, only to be given a set of convincing puppy eyes by the God of Thunder. She sighed, looked away and then looked back. "Fine but.. Just what do you want to do?" She huffed, standing up and the two began to walk to her lab. "I want you to prove that Loki's energy is not here- please." Thor replied, a bit of worry in his voice. Jane nodded, but when she turned around, the God wasn't there.

\--

"What do you want with me...?" Loki mumbled, letting out a shivering breath as Dr banner spoke, he had a calm and pitiful look on his face, he was in horrible shape, this trickster God. It was downright saddening, but they weren't here for pitty. "We know you were tortured. Please, please Loki, listen to us." The God looked up and for a second he went cold, feeling his body tremble. "You...... I... Just end me." He suddenly lowered his head and let out a cough. "I will never heal, leave me to die." He snarled. Banner reached out to touch the scarred shoulder of the God, only to be swatted away for a fast moment. "Don't touch me." He choked, but that was when it happened. Banner grabbed both of the gods cheeks and grasped firmly, then forced his head to look right into his eyes. "Loki." The God started to shake in terror, his eyes filling with tears and his skin starting to become a sort of blue in defence. "You are sick. And we will help you- you need to accept this help! You won't die on us!" He growled, and Loki finally made his body so terribly cold that banner had to let go, the God grabbed his shoulders and shook, averting his eyes in pure terror. "No... No..." He whimpered, looking as if he was about to cry out. He was about to let out a yell when a voice burst through the room and a man appeared. "LOKI! You're alive! My god!" It was tony, he was all bound up here and there and looked pretty beat up, arm in a sling, terribly scarred, but he was still up and running. "We thought we lost you!" He stumbled over to the side of the God and then coughed, collapsing into his knees and coughed, a bit of blood escaping his throat from all the movement. Banner flinched hard at that. "Stark- calm down! Look at yourself!" He huffed, rushing over to look at the inventor, who just put out a stop signal with his hand. "I'm fine, now uh.. Buddy, some free space please." He requested, and banner nodded and left the room. Loki looked at the human and then blinked, this man- why? Why did he make him so calm? What was it about him? Why was it like so? Why... Did he care? "Stark..." Loki whimpered under his breath, watching as the man stumbled to his feet. "Loki, God! I thought we lost you there!" He huffed, crouching down and then reaching out with his one good hand. "You saved my life, I owe you a lot." He whispered under his breath. "Handshake of alliance? Bros?" This man was being too casual, but Loki felt something more now, and he was ready to accept this help... He grasped stark's hand, and a small, ever so small smile came to his face.


End file.
